Mikos & Kitsunes
by foxfirek
Summary: Youko Kurama and Kagome meet after a misunderstanding concerning Shippo. Now they must hunt Naraku together and then battle the threat in the modern era. What adventure awaits them and will Kurama win the heart of his one true love? Youko/Kagome pairing
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1, Who is Watching?

Kagome hefted the heavy yellow backpack securely on her shoulders and grabbed a thick vine to help herself out of the well. By the time she exited the dry well she was panting for breath, the extra weight and bulk of the bag like always made it difficult to drag herself out of the well. Kagome took a look around her surroundings and was only mildly surprised to see no irate hanyous waiting for her impatiently.

For the first 2 years of there adventure InuYasha had always been there when Kagome appeared on this side of the well but now after 3 years InuYasha no longer had to feel quite so protective. Kagome was still widely untrained but Sango had taught her the basics of hand to hand and how to use a knife so Kagome was no longer helpless against stray humans. That coupled with Kaede's training on how to purify demons whom she was touching meant Kagome wasn't as helpless as she used to be. Kagome still felt uncomfortable in this era without her protector but at least she would be safe against and stray lesser youkai.

Kagome dressed in her normal white and green school uniform with its too short green skirt and a solid third of the shikon no tama around her neck counted silently in her head and closed her eyes waiting for what was bound to come her way now that she was on this side of the well.

'One....two...three..' a crash was herd in the distance, 'four... five...' then the noise got closer and Kagome opened her eyes to a speeding hanyou skidding to a stop right in front of her. He then tried to look composed in front of her while panting for breath. Kagome just laughed silently at InuYasha's antics. Yeah he wasn't AS overprotective as he used to be but that didn't mean he would ever admit that she wasn't just a weak ningen.

"Oy wench did you bring the ramen?" InuYasha asked irritatingly while grabbing the bag off of her arm. "I still don't see why you have to spend so much time over there, you should just grab the ramen and then you can go back to shard detecting."

InuYasha should have known better. He should have seen the signs. The darkening of the features the silence for too long, the glaring, but alas InuYasha was still just as dense as always. InuYasha missed all of the warnings and so he was completely unaware of what was happening until he herd the first syllable and by then it was much too late.

"Inuyasha sit boy!"

Inuyasha thudded into the dirt hard.

"My name is Kagome, Ka-Go-Me not wench, you would think with ears as big as yours you would be able to hear me. Second off.."Kagome glowered as she watched InuYasha start to pick himself off the ground.

"Sit!"

Another loud crash as dog hits earth.

"I am not a shard detector and you better get it right or next time I will make sure you hit dirt until the hole you make is so deep it could be a new well." Kagome screamed at the poor hanyou.

That is how her friends found them. Inuyasha face down and Kagome glaring at him. The group said nothing and indeed hardly noticed the everyday occurrence. Shippo took one look and ran to Kagome bouncing on top of Inuyasha on the way before jumping into Kagome's arms.

"KAGOME! I missed you I missed you I missed you! Did you miss me? Did you have fun in your home? Did you bring me anything back?" Shippo then paused and ran to the bag after stepping on InuYasha yet again, eliciting a yelp from the hanyou, to see if there was anything for him. Kagome simply laughed at the antics of the excitable kit her anger at InuYasha completely gone after seeing her beloved kit so happy.

"It is a pleasure to see you again lady Kagome I trust you had a nice trip home?" Inquired a certain hentai monk.

Kagome nodded. "Yep, I forgot how nice it is to sleep in a real bed again and I think I want to marry my shower," Kagome stated while making a face of pure bliss.

"Well you should tell us all about it in the village." Stated Sango. And with that all four walked away heading towards the village a certain dog demon completely forgotten. None of them were aware of the golden eyes of a certain silver haired youkai following there every move. His malicious eyes especially followed the miko who currently had a young kit on the shoulder. She would pay for what she had done to his family...

*******

Except for very rare circumstances there are no mixed species youkai. This is not because different youkai species do not mate because, in fact, that happens plenty. This is the case because generally while a youkai fetus is developing the blood of whichever youkai parent is dominant takes over and destroys the weaker blood, resulting in a pure blooded baby. For example if a cat and dog demon mated there baby would be either cat or dog depending on which of the two were stronger. This also holds true if say two wolves mate one silver one brown. You do not get a silver brown wolf but a either one or the other. The only circumstances under which this is not true is when dealing with complete opposites though that is very rare, or hanyou but well we all know what happens there.

Shippo's parents were in fact both forest kitsunes as was his aunt. His cousin on the other hand was a silver kitsune because his aunts mate had been a silver. Shippo had never met his aunt as she had died along with her mate long before his birth but he did have one fuzzy memory as a very tiny kit meeting his cousin. His memory was of seeing a fully grown fuzzy silvery shape try to explain to him how he could be his cousin even though he wasn't a forest youkai and looked so different. Shippo then dubbed that this youkai was "uncle Youko" even though the fuzzy silver shape kept trying to tell him he was his cousin. The young kit decided since he was so much older he couldn't be his cousin and so uncle it was. Shippo hadn't tried to think of Yoko for a very long time after all he was very young when they met and he would not be able to recognize his cousin even if they were to meet. This was not the same for the older silver who's memory was so much better. After all Shippo was family and kitsune have very strong feelings towards their family.

As Youko Kurama the infamous and very powerful thief stocked the shard hunters and his cousin he thought on the events that had taken place in the years he had been gone to china. When he returned he had gone to visit his uncle and young cousin but when he checked their den it had been abandoned long since past and there had been his uncles dried blood in such quantities that it had almost certainly resulted in his death. At first Youko's reaction was a rage so fierce that he had killed all youkai that had come anywhere close in proximity to the cave for days. Finally his rage dissipated as a new thought came to mind, revenge on whomever did this. As Youko had reinspected the cave for clues on the killer he finally noticed that something was missing. There was no sign if his little cousin. Now, Youko is a very rational demon and knew his cousin might have simply been eaten, after all his cousin would still be small and even if he did survive the attack no one would take in a youkai kit that was not family in times such as these. Still a small seed of hope grew in Youko's heart.

Youkos search had taken him months but he had finally found the ones who had taken his cousin. It only made sense that they had been the ones to kill his uncle. It was not unheard of for humans to steal youkai children as pets or slaves. Youko had all the proof he needed when his eyes landed on the firecat youkai with them that seemed to be a pet. Youko stared at the miko as she subdued the poor dog hanyou and knew she must have been the one to do it. She would have killed Shippo's father and then when he was helpless she lied to him gaining his trust and loyalty. Shippo was probably completely unaware that the shoulder he stood on belonged to the murderer of his father. Youko stared with hate in his eyes at the cold hearted murderer of his uncle. Yes this miko would pay dearly. Youko Kurama would wait and watch and when his chance came he would take it. This miko would suffer for what she did to his family she would die slowly

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-Please review and tell me if you like the story. This is my first fanfiction so please be kind. No flames please.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two, a bath gone wrong

Kagome couldn't shake the feeling that someone was watching her. She knew it was silly of her to keep looking over her shoulder, after all if anyone was nearby InuYasha would sense them wouldn't he? After catching herself look over her shoulder for about the fifth time that day Kagome squared her shoulders determined to stop being paranoid and rigidly faced her eyes forward. All she needed was for InuYasha to comment on her being afraid of her own shadow. It really wouldn't be surprising given that he thought she was incompetent and mostly helpless. Little did the young miko know that she really should be following her instincts this time.

The early spring morning was very pleasant if a bit cold still so early in the season. The sky was clear and air was crisp as the shard hunters made there way through the slightly damp forest. They were heading south following a rumor of a shikon shard as was their usual routine. Everyone was still tired because InuYasha had forced them out of bed at nearly six am but no one complained. All of the shard hunters were used to InuYasha's antics by now and besides they all felt a strong desire to complete the jewel as well and wouldn't have slept much more anyway.

After three years together the group was like a family. They had spent a very long time with only each other as company and so by now they had all saved or been saved from certain death by each other so many times that an absolute shining trust existed within the tight knit group. As the days wore on the group was all painfully aware of Miroku's growing kazanna and so they found it within themselves to work that much harder in search of the shinkon shards and Naraku. They all knew the final battle would not be long in coming and were silently wondering if it would come soon enough. None of them dared voice this fear out loud however, because in a way they were all afraid voicing it would somehow make it true. Besides they didn't want to let despair take them. In a way this was why Kagome was so vital to their mission. She may not be very strong (though she certainly wasn't as weak as she had been) but she was the one that kept them cheerful. If it wasn't for Kagome positive attitude the group would almost certainly have fallen apart long ago once each member fell into the despair of their own situation. Once the members went their separate ways they would have made easy targets for Naraku. Their strength came from a team effort.

Kagome had been contemplating if there was a way she could train her miko powers more when suddenly she froze in place and looked to the west a distinct look on her face of intense concentration.

"Oi wen... KaGoMe," InuYasha caught his error after remembering the previous days painful lesson, "You sense something?" the hanyou inquired as each group member readied their weapons for a possible fight. All of them had picked up immediately on Kagome's abrupt change in attitude. Any fatigue quickly left their bodies as the adrenalin started to pump through their veins.

"I think...." Kagome trailed off with a far off look in her eyes, "Yes, there is definitely a shard coming our way. It feels strong there might be more then one. Shippo please stand back ok?" Kagome nodded towards the near by bushes as she readied her bow and arrows. As Shippo bounded to the bushes to hide, Kagome readied herself to the back of the group to make better use of her long range weapon. The rest of the group readied themselves in front of her in a formation that was completely automatic after so many battles together over the years. Then they waited...

They did not have to wait long as about five minutes later a crash could be heard as something large made its way through the dense forest towards the small clearing in which the group resided. Once the demon emerged Kagome had to choke down the urge to scream.

'I hate bugs why does it have to be a bug?' Kagome thought miserably to herself, 'And worse it's a disgusting centipede demon.' She had always hated centipedes but after mistress centipede that hatred had turned to a deep seeded disgust. Why did they have to have so many creepy crawly legs? And there segmented bodies were so odd, truly there was nothing as icky as a centipede. Kagome quickly composed herself once (mister centipede) as she dubbed him spoke.

"Hand over the Shikon no Tama puny mortals and maybe I will make your deaths quick when I eat you." The creature roared in a high pitch whiney voice. Really not a very intimidating voice if it wasn't for it belonging to a creature the size of a feudal era hut with venom dripping from its fangs. If Kagome had just 500 yen for each time a demon coupled a threat on her life with a demand for the Tama she would be a very rich priestess.

Kagome decided to completely ignore the ridiculous demand as it wasn't very original and instead she focused on the objective, locating the shikon shards. As she looked at the demon she noticed three spots in her miko vision light up on the demons body. 'Three shards in one day this really is a good day.' The priestess thought to herself.

"Inuyasha he has three shards one in his forehead one on his first set of hands and one on his butt." Kagome yelled over to the hanyou as she readied her bow.

InuYasha smiled wickedly at the news and his eyes filled with a sadistic glee over killing this stupid youkai. " I hope your ready to die you ugly beast." InuYasha stated as he grabbed Tetsusaiga and lunged.

The Centipede dodged the first attack deftly as only one enhanced with shards can and swung its tail out knocking the monk and exterminator down and a few feet away just as is made its way to Kagome in hopes of obtaining the shards. InuYasha quickly rebounded to make a swipe at the demon again causing it to be detracted and fight him though doing little damage as his claws grated on the demons armor. Kagome was about to make a shot at the thing while the head was distracted when the tail came up behind her and slammed into her back side hard. Kagome flew threw the air and landed near Shippo's hiding place, only lightly injured, dropping her arrows as she went. As Kagome stood up she noticed the demon once again turning to face her, she was just about to dodge when she heard InuYasha's attack.

"Wind Scar!" InuYasha shouted as he brought the blade down. The creature let loose one ear shattering squeal as it was reduced to tennis ball sized hunks of flesh and blood. Kagome screamed as little bits of demon flesh rained down on her body dowsing both her and Shippo's bodies in blood and gore.

Kagome simply stood there for a moment in shock, bits of centipede all over her. After a minute she preceded to move about in a dazed fashion and picked up the shards from the corpse as well as her equally disgusting fox kit. Then she walked strait up to InuYasha with the scariest look on her face he had ever seen and uttered three words.

"Hot! Springs! Now!"

InuYasha despite usually being quite dense could take a hint. Especially when he was certain he would be sat all the way to hell if he didn't. InuYasha wisely kept his mouth shut grabbed the irate priestess and her bag along with the kit in her arms and ran full speed to the nearest hot springs leaving the rest of the group behind. He then left the dazed priestess next to the water telling her he and the others would stop and wait for her a mile up the path. He then ran as fast as he could away from the suddenly terrifying priestess. Had he truly been a dog his tail would have been seen securely tucked between his legs.

**************

At first Kagome stared at the water almost unsure what to do. Her mind had retreated for a time to help her cope with the massive amounts of gore that surrounded her. Sure she had seen many battles and undescribable horrors during her three years in the feudal era but no amount of seeing such things could prepare the young priestess for being drenched in dead flesh and blood. Kagome staring at the water was snapped out of her daze as she felt a small tug on her hand. As Kagome looked down she was greeted with the concerned eyes of her very filthy kit and that was enough to set her off. Truly no one had ever been as enthusiastic for a bath as Kagome was that day. Kagome scrubbed herself over and over again until her whole body was pink and then she proceeded to do the same with Shippo. Kagome probably would have stayed in the water for a long time except after she had finished scrubbing she noticed bits of the "stuff" that was on her floating in the water and so she decided it was officially cleaner out of the bath then in. Kagome quickly changed and headed off to camp. Little did she know that she would never arrive.

*******************

Youko had been watching the group since yesterday only leaving long enough to procure a small den he could take Shippo to once he stole the kit away and killed the murdering bitch. He knew in the back of his mind that he had no definite proof that she had killed his uncle but he wasn't about to give a miko -someone who killed youkai for no other reason then them being youkai- the benefit of the doubt. Besides he had seen a miko arrow near the outside of the den as well as evidence of foxfire that could only have come from Shippo's dad. It seemed to Youko that the miko had most likely injured his uncle who had tried to defend himself with foxfire. Later his uncle had fled to the safety of the den to die. There were no remains so maybe after being injured he had been followed and thus left the den to protect Shippo and been purified. It would explain why there was so much blood, why there were no remains and why there was evidence of a miko doing battle in the general vicinity and the foxfire. Three years had passed so as Youko was no dog he couldn't pick up any useful scents anymore but he was very confident he had the story correct given the evidence.

Youko had seen the miko witch subdue the hanyou the day before and today he had seen the whole group tense when all she had done was halted for a second and then they proceeded to follow her commands quickly as if afraid of her. She had even ordered his little cousin who seemed to run away from her as fast as he possibly could. Youko could not hear them as he had to stay far away lest the dog scent him but Youko was confident that the priestess commanded this group and did so with fear.

Once the group finished killing the centipede demon Youko saw the perfect chance. The miko was now alone, except for his cousin, unarmed, and her subordinates were too far away to hear if she screamed. Youko smirked as he saw the priestess exit the bath. Under different circumstances he would enjoy seeing a beautiful onna naked outside the hot springs but today such thoughts quickly left his mind as he thought up different ways he could torture her. Youko finally decided what he would do to her to make her scream. He followed closely after her and once she had started walking away fully dressed now he decided to strike.

Youko lashed out with his rose wip at the unsuspecting priestess. He was shocked to see her mostly dodge and turn to face him a look of surprise on her face as her shoulder started to drip blood. Youko smirked as he saw the blood and let his eyes look the miko up and down for the first time seeing her at close range. Youko then let his gaze fall on his cousin who was currently in her arms looking terrified. Youko's eyes suddenly turned red as he saw the fear in his cousins eyes. The thought never once occurred to the enraged demon that his cousins fear was directed to himself and not the priestess. He then spoke.

"Give me the kit priestess, this is your only chance to not die the most painful death I can give you." Youko growled out while watching the miko.

Her reactions were strange was the thought in the back of his enraged mind as he noticed fear and then anger wash over the face of the priestess. She then held the kit closer to her before speaking.

"I would sooner die then hand him over to you demon." The angry priestess shouted at him. She then let go of his cousin and shouted "Run!" As she blocked his cousin from his view with her body.

Youko smirked evilly as he herd the priestesses answer. She had practically given him permission to tear her apart. He pulled out a seed and prepared himself to kill the evil priestess as his cousin ran away. He swore to himself that his cousin would never run in fear from this woman again.

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I hoped everyone liked the chapter and I hope all the questions people had are answered. The next chapter will be the battle. Special thanks to willowsnap, SweetDarkSilence, I am catlord, Wings of Tears, c breez, merlyn1382, LuLuCrazeD, Nyuka, Cyrus, foxgoddes07 and Trinity the Kistune Kunoichi for reviewing. The reviewes were very encouraging and I will try to update every week. Please review and thank you for reading.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Battle, Pain, and Understanding

Kagome was shocked when she felt a dangerous presence and barely was able to dodge the majority of the attack. With adrenalin pumping in her veins she hardly felt as the whip tore a six inch cut into her shoulder drawing blood. Kagome was terrified and completely taken by surprise when she felt the wound and saw her new enemy. Her first reflex was to grab her bow but she almost instantly realized it had been left behind with the centipede's corpse.

Kagome stared at the demon with surprise all the while holding onto Shippo who was in her arms. Kagome looked the demon over up and down trying to assess the situation. Once she caught a glimpse she realized she was in deep trouble.

The demon in front of Kagome looked both powerful and cruel. He was tall and powerfully built. He held a whip in one hand and held a stance that practically shouted confidence and experience. Kagome would have known just by these attributes that she was in trouble but in all honesty what scared Kagome the most was his physical appearance. If he had been an ugly toad with one eye and a cocky grin Kagome would have felt hope but the demon in front of her was no toad.

He was a god.

In this situation Kagome truly wished he had been a toad or some other misshapen youkai. Kagome had learned in her years in the feudal era that the more perfect looking the demon the more powerful he was. The examples were everywhere, InuYasha, Naraku, Koga, Hiten, and Sesshomaru. This demon in front of her looked just as beautiful as any one of them.

The beautiful demon in front of her had entrancing golden eyes that practically sparkled with power and long silvery perfect hair. He had tall ears even more enticing then InuYasha on top of his head and unlike either one of the inu-brothers this demon had a matching tail flickering in the wind behind him. He looked at her with eyes full of pure controlled hatred. It only took Kagome about a half of a second to understand the situation.

'I am so dead,' She thought to herself. 'What did I do to make him angry? I have never seen him before and if he was after the shards he wouldn't be looking at me like I'm poison.'

Then the situation changed as she saw the godlike creature take one look at the frightened Shippo and his eyes flashed a vibrant crimson.

"Give me the kit priestess, this is your only chance to not die the most painful death I can give you." Growled the male in front of her.

Kagome's first response was fear. When his eyes fell on her precious son they had turned an enraged red. Was he angry at her Shippo? Did he wish Shippo harm and why? Kagome had never seen this demon had Shippo? She was terrified what he might do to her beloved kit but then as quickly as it came the fear was gone.

She would never let harm befall Shippo for as long as she still drew breath in this world Shippo would be safe. Kagome was angry how dare he! She would fight to the death to protect Shippo and if she died in battle, well, there was no greater cause then a mother protecting her child.

"I would sooner die then hand him over to you demon." She then gave Shippo one last squeeze and let Shippo go, "run!"she shouted while blocking Shippo's view from the demon that dared to demand she hand over her son. She pulled out her dagger preparing to distract this demon from her son. She was well aware she didn't stand a chance in hell of winning but maybe she could buy Shippo enough time to get away. In a perfect world maybe even enough that he could get InuYasha to help her. Regardless the miko was not weak and she would put up one hell of a fight before she went down.

Youko grinned coldly as he shot out with his whip again testing how powerful the evil witch was. This time she was ready for it and unburdened with his cousin. She deftly dodged the whip and scanned the ground for anything that might aid her in her fight. She found nothing unfortunately for her and took a fighting stance with her dagger. She was careful to place herself between Youko and his cousin.

Youko was a bit confused with her actions. She was not acting like she should be. Usually in this situation a ningen would have cowered and begged for their life. Ningens were a cowardly race which was why they resorted to tricks to enslave youkai so that they could use them. Youko did have to admit as he continued to test the miko that she was adept but it was obvious she could not win. She wasn't even trying to attack him. Admittedly she didn't stand a chance given that she had a short range weapon and he had his whip but it was painfully aware that she was outclassed.

As he shot out over and over with his whip he started to nick her body causing the miko be riddled with small cuts and soon the miko was panting for breath and covered in blood. She was slowing down from the pain and Youko relished in every ounce of pain and every gasp that she made. He wanted her to suffer for what she did to his uncle. Youko soon felt he had gauged his opponent's skills in battle enough. He decided he wanted to feel her blood under his claws he wanted her to feel real fear as she begged for her life. Youko lashed out with his whip once more and then jumped in closer to the miko his claws ready to strike her lovely face. He was not expecting what happened next.

Kagome had not been fairing well so far in battle. She was slowly and painfully being ripped to shreds. She knew he was toying with her but Kagome endured because really she had no choice. She had to keep this demon as far away from her son as long as she could but dammit it hurt! She knew she was going to have do something desperate soon when finally she got an opening.

The Youkai for the first time in the battle moved in close range where Kagome's training could actually kick in. She weeved out of the way of the clawed hand deftly and lashed out with her dagger aiming at the demons whip hand. The demon dodged easily but Kagome had expected this. The real attack came when her unarmed hand made contact with the demons shoulder blasting it with high level miko magic. It hit its mark and the demon leaped back staggering from the pain. Finally she had done damage. His shoulder was bleeding profusely and in tatters he could no longer keep his hand on his whip.

Youko leaped back after the attack hit. For a second he was surprised and then the pain hit and he was in agony. The miko had burned away a significant portion of his shoulder. He could barely use his arm. He started breathing heavily as fatigue and pain riddled his system. This miko was far stronger then she seemed and this was the most serious injury that had been inflicted on him in a half of a century. Looking at his shoulder while keeping an eye on the miko, Youko did his best to ignore the pain and take account of his injury.

Thankfully the injury was not life threatening because he was a youkai but he would not be able to use that arm in battle. Based on how severe the injury was Youko could not risk getting in close to the witch again at least not unless she was incapacitated because another hit or two like that one and his life really would be in danger. Youko decided to take the safe route. He had been toying with the witch before but it would not do to be bested in battle by a half trained slip of a girl.

Youko pulled out a seed from his now blood stained hair and fed it some of his energy. In seconds a large plant if roses was shooting out towards the girl. Youko grinned in satisfaction as he heard the young woman scream in pain as thorns cruelly ripped into her arms and legs as the thorn covered vines tied the miko securely in place. He then stared into her panic stricken eyes and smirked as he walked towards the now completely bound and helpless kidnapper of his cousin.

_The whole battle had only taken a few minutes_

Kagome was hurt from all the cuts on her body but she forced the pain back as the fear started to take over. She was pinned and helpless and worst of all she hadn't bought Shippo much time at all. She stared apprehensively at the demon coming towards her and started to shake with fear. The demon was looking at her with eyes that promised her no mercy and she didn't understand why. All she knew was that he hated her for some reason.

"Why are you doing this?" Kagome squeaked out. Maybe if she knew she could talk him out of killing her or at least buy more time.

The silver haired demon was now right in front of her holding a black flower in his hand menacingly. Generally Kagome wouldn't have thought it possible to look menacing with a flower in ones hand but this demon somehow pulled it off. He looked at her coldly and then spoke in a voice both beautiful and deadly.

"You miko will suffer and die for the crimes you have committed towards my blood kin. You deserve the worst fate I can give you for the murder of my uncle and kidnapping and theft of my cousin."

Kagome gaped at the demon confused completely. Kidnapping? She never stole anyone! On top of that she prided herself on never killing unless being attacked first. There was no way, this had to be a mistake.

"I never did anything like that, you're wrong!" Sputtered out the priestess. She opened her mouth again to protest only to have the demon throw the small black flower deftly in her mouth where it instantly dissolved leaving a sweet taste in her mouth. The young miko was speechless for a second and the demon took the opportunity to speak

"I will hear no more of your lies witch. Soon the poison you just took will take effect and it will kill you. No one but I has the antidote." He nodded towards a white flower in his hand identical to the first in all but color. "Think of this as you're punishment for taking my cousin Shippo!"

Poison? Shippo? Realization dawned on Kagome, he thought she killed Shippo's father! Kagome opened her mouth fully intending to tell the demon, Shippo's cousin, the truth when the pain hit. Kagome let out an ear piercing scream louder then she ever had in her life. Her entire body was in such pain that all thought left the priestess. She screamed again and again as shear agony made it's way through her system. Kagome knew nothing of the world once the pain started all she knew was pain and all she wanted was no pain. If Kagome had had enough of her mind available she would be begging for death but she was unable to do even that as the pain engulfed her.

Elsewhere A young kit heard a scream in the distance. He had not gotten far because in his haste he had gotten lost and turned around. Upon hearing Kagome's scream Shippo didn't hesitate in the slightest. He immediately pivoted and ran towards Kagome. He couldn't loose his new mama. He hadn't been strong enough to save his papa and it haunted him to this day but he wouldn't run away this time. He would try to help, he wasn't a coward.

Shippo ran full speed towards the screams not pausing until he burst into the clearing where Kagome was writhing in the rose vines that held her in place. She was screaming in pain and Shippo felt like crying once he saw how bad she looked.

"Kagome! Oh mama you have to be ok. Please Kagome don't die you have to get better!" Shippo grabbed onto Kagome unable to see what was wrong with her. He was panicking when he noticed the other Kitsune who had attacked them just watching as Kagome was screaming her head off.

"What did you do to her!" Shippo screamed at the top of his lungs staring at the kitsune in an enraged panic. "What did you do to my mama you monster! If you don't make her better then I swear on the grave of my father that I will hunt you down until you die!"

Youko stared at his cousin in shock and took a step back when he heard the words of anger directed towards him. Shippo did not recognize Youko at all. He had called the girl his mother! He had sworn an oath against his own blood kin in defense of this pathetic human.

Youko had thought Shippo was afraid of the girl before how had he misjudged? Thinking back Youko tried to remember the fear his cousin had shown while he had lost himself briefly to his demon rage earlier and realized it was not the miko he had been afraid of but Youko himself, his own cousin.

"You know not of what you speak kit. That woman is not your mother she is a miko, her kind kills youkai. She killed your father with purification herself and has brainwashed you into thinking that she cares for you. She deserves this pain. She will soon be gone from this world as the poison eats her for her crimes."

Shippo looked at the demon like he had grown a second head.

"You monster! Kagome helped me avenge my papa herself! I was there when the thunder brothers killed papa and I was helpless when the thunder brothers took his pelt. If it wasn't for Kagome then they would have got me too. She helped InuYasha and almost died helping me even though all I did was steal from her and then she even took care of me after." With that Shippo grabbed onto Kagome's legs and started crying. His wailing was completely lost in Kagome's screams.

Youko was taken aback. Who were the thunder brothers? Had he, Youko, made such a drastic error? Youko knew his cousin was not lying he could smell no deceit on him which could only mean...

Youko streaked towards the miko as fast as possible completely ignoring his own wounds and administered the antidote. The miko's screams quieted quickly and she fell unconscious the only thing keeping her up the rose vines. Youko stared at the miko in panic. He had just tortured an innocent woman! Youko's ears fell in shame and his tail fell low. The miko was heavily injured from his attacks against her person and even without the poison she might die from the wounds and blood loss. Youko carefully forced the vines to untangle from the poor woman trying not to inflict any more harm on the miko his cousin thought of as a mother. Youko then gathered her in his good hand as the kits sobs quieted down.

"What are you doing with Kagome? Let her..."sniff ".... go!" The little kit managed in a watery voice.

Youko looked at the kit with shame and sadness in his eyes. "I apologize kit for hurting your mother. I understand that you cannot trust me now but I truly believed she killed your father, my uncle. I must heal her now and try to rectify some of the harm I have caused. I cannot heal her here for I too am injured and could not defend us properly if attacked. Please follow me Shippo I will do my best to save your mothers life."

Shippo looked at the older kitsune for a moment trying to remember a long forgotten memory.

"Uncle Youko?" stated the kit in shock completely unsure what to do if this was his uncle. Under normal circumstances he would be happy but given that this demon had just hurt Kagome he simply didn't know how to feel.

Youko nodded at the name indicating that he was indeed his 'uncle Youko.' He then slung the girl over his shoulder and gathered the kit in his one good hand. He ran quickly to his den all the while realizing that his injury was sapping his strength quickly.

When Youko entered the den he gently lay the miko on his pelts and dressed her wounds ignoring the dumbfounded Shippo. He made sure to use his best plants and herbs on the miko in hopes that they would keep her from scarring and stop the blood flow and any chance of infection. Once he had done all he could for the miko, Youko wobbly got up and moved to the cold floor to rest. He was unconscious as soon as he hit the floor.

Youko woke up nearly 12 hours later to screams from the miko. At first he thought she was being attacked and he quickly jumped up ready to face an intruder only to wince at pain from his injury. He had forgotten that miko created injuries take longer to heal. Upon inspection of his newly acquired den Youko found no intruder, instead the miko was tossing and turning in her sleep from a nightmare, most likely of his earlier treatment of her.

Youko's ears fell as he recalled the prior days events. He had been upset and instead of thinking things through he had come to conclusions prematurely. He hoped sincerely that the miko would survive and that he had not done permanent damage to her mind by using the black orchid poison. Youko got up and diligently checked the miko's bandages. He did everything he could for her and stubbornly ignored his own injuries not even bothering to bandage them. He deserved the pain. Youko then proceeded to acquire food for his young cousin who was stubbornly ignoring him. Shippo ate the food but other then that refused to talk to or even look at Youko. Youko soon got used to the idea that he would have to wait for the miko to wake if he was to ever talk to his cousin so he did everything in his power to heal her.

2 days passed before the miko finally woke up.

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Sorry it took so long to update I hope you all like the longer chapter though. Thank you to all the reviewers it's very encouraging that everyone likes my first fanfiction so far.


	4. Chapter 4

Waking up

Kagome felt disoriented and lethargic as she started to wake up. She was sleeping in a nice dry soft place covered in thick blankets that did not feel like her normal sleeping bag. She felt uncomfortable and stiff as if she had been in one place for too long and her body was sore all over. To top it off she could feel a headache coming on. Kagome still felt exhausted and so all she really wanted to do was go back to sleep but her headache was steadily worsening and soon Kagome knew she would have to get up if only to get some aspirin from her giant yellow backpack.

Kagome slowly opened her eyes to the world fully expecting to see the roof of Kaede's hut or maybe the trees or outdoor sky. Instead Kagome saw what looked like the roof of a cave. At first Kagome tried to remember going to sleep in a cave but she could not. Kagome sat up and looked around for the first time searching for anything familiar. Soon her eyes fell on Shippo who was nuzzled up next to her snoring cutely.

Kagome could see nothing else familiar at all in the cave. While she looked around for the first time she noticed the bandages covering her arms. On further inspection she realized most of her body was riddled in bandages. 'That's odd I don't remember being hurt. Hmmm.. No pain either.' Kagome undid one of her bandages on her arm carefully to make sure she would do no further damage to herself if she was actually injured. As she undid the bandage she saw only a slight pink line where there used to be a rather deep cut. "Hmm. It looks like I'm already healed from whatever it was I wonder how long I was out.' Kagome then proceeded to unwrap all of her bandages and found similar results in almost all of them. The bandages covered wounds that looked like they were minor enough that they wouldn't even scar. When she came to her shoulder however Kagome felt a slight pain and decided to leave that bandage on.

Now that Kagome no longer looked like a mummy she decided to take a look around at her surroundings. She was in a very large cave with what looked like smaller caves going off in other directions, the entrance covered in thick vines. Her light source was many small vine plants growing all over the cave walls giving off a soft glow. She had been sleeping on a lot of thick pelts towards the end of the cave much like the ones she had seen in Koga's cave. Looking around Kagome knew that this was definitely not Koga's caves. Not only did Koga not have what looked like radioactive vine plants but he certainly wasn't this rich. Nearly everywhere Kagome looked she was surrounded by valuables. There were paintings hung on the walls, golden candlesticks, piles of jewels and much more. There were also a whole lot of plants. There were beautiful potted flowers many of which Kagome had never seen and many that Kagome knew did not grow in Japan. Kagome may have no idea who's cave she was in but she knew that they were obviously very wealthy and had a plant fetish.

Deciding that it was important to know where she was Kagome decided to wake up Shippo. Shaking the little kit Kagome watched at he slowly woke up. At first he looked at her and then he rubbed his eyes adorably and looked again. Then Kagome saw a very wide grin spread on her sons face and he jumped up and hugged her fiercely.

"Kagome you're ok! I'm so happy you're awake I was so worried you would never wake up. You were hurt so bad and you were asleep for over 2 whole days."Stated the kit excitedly as he started to cry in sheer relief that his mama was alright.

"Shh Shippo it's ok. Im just fine see I'm hardly hurt at all. It's fine Shippo. I'm not going to leave you, everything will be just fine." Kagome comforted the kit in her arms as best as she could waiting for his sops to stop. Once they did Kagome asked the burning question. "Shippo where are we and what happened?"

Shippo looked at his adopted mother with surprise as he tried to compose an answer. Apparently Kagome didn't remember and he wasn't completely sure what to say. "Umm, well you see, you were attacked by a youkai and got hurt really bad remember?"

Kagome suddenly did remember and fear washed over her. Did that demon kidnap them? Did they get away? Was he going to hurt them/ her again? But why was she alive and healed mostly? Kagome shivered as memories of the terrible pain went through her mind. The demon had said he was going to kill her, he had poisoned her and then she remembered blinding pain like none she had ever experienced before. Kagome nodded for her son to continue unable to talk for fear the words would all tumble out.

"Well you see it was all a misunderstanding." Shippo continued even as Kagome's eyes grew wide. "The Youkai was my uncle Youko, well he's really my cousin but I call him uncle because he is so old. Anyways he thought you had kidnaped me and killed father. I don't really know why but that's why he hurt you so bad." Shippo looked up at Kagome suddenly looking afraid and ashamed, "Please don't hate me mama, I hadn't seen Youko since I was little and I didn't recognize him. I didn't want him to hurt you, I forgot he even existed." Shippo suddenly started hyperventilating as tears streaked down his face a second time. He was terrified Kagome would hate him because his cousin had hurt her. He couldn't blame her if she did., he had heard her screaming and he knew she had been hurt really bad and if he had known he could have stopped it..

"Oh Shippo sweety I would never hate you. I love you. You are my precious kit and I will never leave you if I have a say in the matter, ok?" Kagome hugged Shippo again as her own eyes went misty with tears. He must have been so worried her poor little kit. She hugged him tightly not sure if it was to comfort Shippo or herself. She loved Shippo and he was very precious to her. After they had both calmed down Kagome decided there was one more question that she needed to have answered.

"Shippo where is you're cousin now?" Kagome was still weary of the demon that had fed her that god awful flower even if Shippo did say it was a misunderstanding. She wouldn't attack him or anything like that but she couldn't trust anyone who had hurt her that bad instantly. Kagome still remembered his cold hatred filled eyes after he had fed her the flower. Kagome shivered at the memory and tried to think of something else. She would try for Shippo that was all that mattered.

"Umm, well I think he went out to get food or else more stuff for the cave. Over the last 2 days he only ever leaves to collect stuff from his old cave or to get food. I haven't been speaking to him so I don't really know."

At that moment the vines at the entrance parted and the demon they had been talking about walked through the door.

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Youko had been listening in on the entire conversation from just outside the cave entrance. He had gone out to get enough food for all three of them just in case the miko woke. He had also checked his wards to make sure his new cave was completely hidden in both sight and scent, after all he was a thief and it would not do for him to be caught. As he had been arriving he heard the miko comforting the kit and telling him she was fine. At first he was going to go in but honestly it was hard for him to work up the nerve. What would be her reaction to him? Would she hate him, or maybe fear him? Maybe she would demand that he have no relationship with his cousin. This scared him the most because as Shippo's guardian it was her right to deny him and it wouldn't surprise Youko after his treatment of her if that was exactly what she did. Youko had made one of the worst mistakes of his life when he had attacked the young priestess and he did not know how to make amends, in fact he wasn't sure if it was even possible.

As Youko listened it became apparent that the miko obviously loved his cousin very much. She was comforting him just like a mother would her son. Youko felt a fresh stab of guilt when he heard Shippo's fear that the girl would hate him because of what Youko had done. He suddenly realized that this fear had been why Shippo had not spoken to him in the last few days. He was glad when the girl put that fear to rest but there were still many more. When Shippo called the miko 'mama' Youko realized that there was no way his cousin would leave the girl to travel with him. Obviously the miko loved Shippo as if he really were her son as well and would not want him to leave either. As Youko listened in he decided it was time for him to face the consequences of his actions. With his ears lowered in shame he stepped through the vine door.

Kagome's first reaction to meeting Shippo cousin for the second time was instinctual, fear. Really no one could blame her after all she had been through. This demon had tried to kill her and in his attempts at revenge he had mercilessly tortured her. On top of that she knew next to nothing about him and was certain that if he so chose he had the power to do it all over again.

Kagome hugged Shippo a little tighter in her arms as she took in his appearance trying her best not to react to the fear in her body. This was after all Shippo's cousin and if Shippo's story was to be believed it had been a mistake. Kagome managed to relax a tiny bit when she noticed the demons ears (much like her demon hanyou friend's) were down signifying he felt bad about something. She noticed also that he kept his distance for which she could only feel grateful. She did not trust herself to talk at the moment her throat feeling dry but she was willing to hear him out.

"I mean you no harm I swear." Stated Youko as he scented the miko's fear. He was impressed when she did not scream at him and glad to see her nod her head signifying that she had heard him and would allow him to speak it was very brave of her. "I know what I did to you was terrible and I seek to make amends. I will start this by explaining myself." At another nod from the priestess Youko felt his confidence rise and he launched into his story.

"My name is Youko Kurama I am a silver kitsune and infamous thief. Shippo my cousin, and his father were my closest living relatives. I knew Shippo when he was a young kit before I left for a long journey to China to acquire more strength and polish up a bit on my thieving skills. About 4 months ago I returned to Japan and right away I went to visit my relatives. We kitsunes tend to be very close within our families and being away for so long had made me anxious. Upon arriving at the caves there was my uncles blood everywhere and it was obvious that a battle had taken place and he must have died because of how much blood was there and the obvious disuse of the caves in recent years. At first I went into a demon rage but once I snapped out of it I knew I needed information on what had happened and I wanted to know if Shippo could still be alive. It was difficult finding clues outside of the cave given that nearly 3 years had passed since my uncles murder but I managed to find some eventually. Kitsune are very good at identifying each others magic even if a long time has passed. Because of that I was able to find an area where my uncle had used a massive amount of foxfire as protection for something. Near the area I uncovered sacred arrows leading me to believe that my uncle had fought a miko and had used all of his powers to stop the attacks. I found no evidence other then that but after three years I felt confident in my assumptions. I searched for months however and found no clues on my own so I sent word out across the country that Youko Kurama would offer a reward to anyone that could locate my cousin or had information on the miko who killed my uncle. The next day a hanyou in a baboon pelt answered me with information." Youko paused as both his cousin and the miko gasped simultaneous at this piece on information.

"Please describe that demon." Gasped out the miko who seemed to have mostly recovered from her initial fear. " Did he give you his name, and what exactly did he say?"

Youko paused taken back that they seemed so interested in this detail. He thought a moment and then continued. "He did not give me a name but I could scent that he was actually a puppet being manipulated. Other then that he was human in appearance but he wore a white pelt of a baboon which masked most of his features. He said that he knew of a kit the age of my cousin. He said the kit was in the company of a miko who was known for her cruelness towards demons and who had been hunting him for the last three years." Youko watched curiously as he saw the miko and kit look at each other knowingly. "After that there is not much to tell. I believed that you had kidnapped my cousin in order to use him and that you had killed my uncle. I acted rashly in order to exact my revenge. After Shippo told me that I was incorrect in my assumptions I gave you the antidote and brought you here where we would be safe and I could heal you. I regret what I did and I apologize for the pain I caused you. All I really want is what is best for my cousin as I care for him a great deal and when presented with the idea that he was being mistreated I went a little crazy. I know an apology is not enough but if there is anything that you need miko, all you have to do is ask. " Youko felt slightly better having told his story, in truth he had thought she would not even give him the time to explain.

"Kagome." Stated the miko. Youko quirked an eyebrow and so she elaborated, "You could start by calling me Kagome not miko or priestess. It would be awkward if Shippo's cousin always called me miko or priestess since I am pretty sure we will be seeing a lot of each other when you come to visit Shippo." Kagome then gave Youko a reassuring smile, "As for the rest I tend to be a pretty forgiving person, after all nearly everyone in my group sought to do me harm when we first met though admittedly none went quite as far as you did. I am willing to forgive you as long as you swear that you will never hurt Shippo, my friends or me again."

Youko's eyes lit up at the words the miko spoke. She was willing to forgive him! She was going to let him see him cousin and all he had to do was something he had already promised himself he would. Youko bowed low to the priestess and tentatively approached her not wanting to startle her. She showed no fear at his approach so he continued. Once he was directly in front of her he got down on one knee and took her hand in his. "I Youko Kurama hereby swear that I will never harm the priestess Kagome, my cousin Shippo or their traveling companions as long as I draw breath."Youko then backed up a bit and sat down.

"I Kagome accept your vow happily." Stated Kagome a smile on her face. She was relieved that this all really was a misunderstanding mostly initiated by Naraku's meddling she really didn't know what she would do if it hadn't been. Also being who she was she simply could not hold a grudge. "You should probably know that the hanyou that you met is Naraku and that he has been our enemy for a long time which is why he said what he did to deceive you. We have been hunting Naraku for three years now and he will stop at nothing to destroy us. He probably hoped you would kill me because even though I am mostly untrained I am a threat to him if I get in a lucky shot. We are expecting a final confrontation to take place sometime within the next year all we can hope is that we are strong enough to defeat him. Also I had nothing to do with the death of your uncle but I did meet his spirit and I helped avenge him with my arrows. He used the last of his energy to protect Shippo and me from the thunder brothers attack. Before he saved us they had been using his pelt but it disintegrated when he used the power left in it."

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Kagome then explained all of her story to Youko leaving nothing important out. She spoke of all of Naraku's evil deeds to each of the party members and even her origins. Shippo sometimes added his point of view or thoughts. Youko was a good listener and asked for clarification on points that were glossed over. They stopped to eat and soon Kagome was able to disassociate her previous pain and Youko. That pain she attributed to Naraku instead because it really was his fault not Youko's. Youko at the end of the story came to a conclusion on what he could do to help them. He still felt very guilty over his actions and he wanted to do something more to make it right.

"Kagome, Shippo you both are in sore need or training."Youko decided when the story was done.

"Well yes but InuYasha would never consent to the time it would take and besides most miko's are not willing to train me. They think I am a disgrace because I associate with Youkai. As for Shippo we never met any other kitsune in our travels. Actually speaking of him where is InuYasha?" Kagome asked incredulously. If she had really been out for three days he should have found her by now.

"Your companions will not find us here. I am a legendary thief and getting away with things I take is rather important. My plants cover up the scent of me and anything I carry at all times. I am also quite adept at not leaving a trail. As for training I can handle that. It should not be difficult to procure a book on miko abilities and I'm more then capable of training Shippo's kitsune powers. I can also extend both of your physical abilities greatly. That is if you are willing to stay for a while.

Kagome was floored by what he had just offered. It was a dream come true to finally become more useful to her companions. She still felt like a liability most of the time and she wanted to help. Kagome purposely ignored the part about Youko procuring a book because she really didn't want to know if he meant steal. Slowly a grin appeared on her face as she reached a conclusion.

"Youko I would love to stay and receive training."

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Thank you very much everyone who reviewed. All of your reviews are great encouragement for me to continue. I hope everyone likes the update. I know not a lot happened but I think I have finally solved all of the conflict. The next chapter will contain training and hopefully them getting closer. Please be kind I don't have a beta but I try to catch as many mistakes as I can.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5 - Lets start

InuYasha had waited patiently for Kagome at the camp for her to return from the hot springs. He knew how she was about her cleanliness and he knew better then to get between her and a hot spring. He also knew that this particular trip would take extra long and that he had better not interrupt because it was his fault and he did not relish eating dirt. Still after 2 hours InuYasha was getting impatient. They were wasting daylight! What on earth could be taking Kagome so long? She sometimes took extended baths but never over an hour and now it had been two. InuYasha paced a few more minutes before he glanced at the group.

"Oi. Kagome's takin forever I'm goin' after her." InuYasha said while glancing at Sango and Miroku.

"Why InuYasha that sounds like a wonderful idea. I believe I will accompany you to the hot springs. After all it wouldn't do for lady Kagome to get heat stroke from staying in too long." Miroku said with a lecherous grin slowly growing on his face. He started to nod wisely only to feel blinding pain as a giant object hit his skull hard. His last thoughts before losing consciousness were of a naked Kagome in the hot springs inviting him to join her.

Sango looked at the monk with a disgusted look on her face. She was trying her hardest to break Miroku of his lecherous ways but no matter how much pain she inflicted nothing seemed to stick. Sango knew she loved Miroku and she was even pretty sure he felt the same but she wasn't sure if she could be with such a lecher. Sango hoped that once everything was over she might be able to start a life and family with Miroku. Sango would only do this if she knew he would not stray from her but maybe if she hit him often enough he would learn the lesson. Sango looked down at the now grinning unconscious form of Miroku and kicked him lightly for good measure. Sango smiled as a thought came to her. She would teach Miroku to be faithful or he would die trying.

"Go ahead InuYasha we will wait here for you. Make sure you call out before you get in sight of the hot springs though, otherwise Kagome will probably 'sit' you."

InuYasha nodded thankful for the advice and took off. He exited the camp quickly and made his way towards the spring. He was only half way there when he scented something wrong in the area. InuYasha halted and lowered his face to the dirt and took a sniff. Shippo had been here and he smelled fear on the kit. InuYasha was suddenly afraid for Kagome and took off full speed towards the spring arriving there quickly. What he found left him frantic and afraid.

InuYasha could scent blood, a lot of it. Kagome's blood was saturated on the ground as were bits of vines and thorns. He could deduce from smell most of what took place. A demon must have attacked Kagome using the vines. Strangely though InuYasha could not smell any demon. Kagome scent was there though as were all the scents that pointed to a battle. Kagome had been terrified and angry, which sounded just like her when her life was in danger. She had fought, he could smell her perspiration as well as her holy powers and the scent of singed demon flesh the only real smell of the enemy. InuYasha smiled inwardly at that scent. 'Good she injured the bastard.' The most overwhelming scent however was that of Kagome's pain. Most creatures might think pain does not have a scent but InuYasha was not most creatures. He could smell pain, he had smelled it on enemies he was killing or on battlefields. It truly upset InuYasha how much pain he smelled mixed with Kagomes scent.

Shippo's scent confused him. It seemed like the small kit had run away and then come back. This was very out of character for the generally cowardly kit. Inuyasha shrugged off all confusion regarding the kit when he was suddenly floored with a realization. There were no scents that left the clearing. Suddenly InuYasha became frantic. He got on all his hands and knees and checked the dirt for scents again. He knew only that Kagome was in pain then suddenly her scent and Shippo's disappeared. Where was Kagome? InuYasha checked the surrounding area over and over again. Where were they? As InuYasha searched over the area he didn't even notice time passing until Sango and Miroku reached him nearly an hour later.

As the monk and exterminator approached they knew something was wrong. At first they thought maybe Kagome and InuYasha had got in a fight and that was why it was taking so long. This seemed reasonable if InuYasha had not followed Sango's prior advice to the hanyou. After so much time went by however they started to fear the worst. Once they came upon the hot springs their fears were confirmed. They may not have InuYasha's nose but that did not stop 2 trained warriors from knowing when a battle had taken place. Once they spotted InuYasha they were both put at even further unease. InuYasha was on his hands and knees looking slightly crazed smelling the dirt. They paused for InuYasha to notice them but when he did not Sango decided to speak.

"InuYasha, what happened? Where is Kagome?" Sango said carefully. InuYasha seemed a little scary at the moment and she did not want to spook him.

InuYasha righted himself immediately when he heard Sango speak to him. He hadn't even noticed she was there. As her words processed in his mind InuYasha's ears fell flat to his head. How could he answer that question? He decided the truth was best.

"I don't know." He said flatly.

"Pardon?" Sango said her eyes narrowing. She could not have heard that properly. InuYasha had the nose of a bloodhound he could smell anything. It was his job to know.

"I said I don't know!" InuYasha shouted. "She got in a fight with some demon who can mask scents. She got hurt pretty bad and the demon got hurt too. Shippo was here and then they all just vanish. I can't smell anything after that. I'm trying but all I can smell is damn forest. I don't know where Kagome, Shippo or the god damned demon are!"InuYasha ranted too caught up in his own tantrum to notice the demon exterminators face going red. He did notice however when his face met the dirt harder then any of Kagome's sits. The exterminator had used her giant weapon to slam him into the ground in her anger.

"You are telling me that my friend is out there, injured, with the demon that hurt her and you can't find her! Get up InuYasha we are going to find Kagome with or without your useless ass!" Sango was furious. InuYasha wasn't really at fault but she couldn't help but take her anger out on him anyway. She then stomped off in a random direction Miroku following close at her heals InuYasha still on the ground. They would search the old fashioned way.

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Kagome woke up with a yawn and stretched her arms. Shippo was still asleep next to her and Youko had gone out for some reason or another. Kagome had tired out after telling her story to Youko and had fallen asleep soon after. Her injuries were mostly healed but her energy was still really low. Looking around lazily Kagome slipped out of bed and looked around the room searching for something. Youko had told her before that she could help herself to anything in the cave and make herself at home. Soon Kagome's eyes fell on what she had been looking for and so she gathered the sheet of paper and pen and sat at a desk to write.

'Dear everyone,

I know you are probably all worried about me but please don't be I am fine. I am safe and almost fully healed already. I will go into details of what happened when I see you next but it's just too complicated to write down. To give you the short version the demon who attacked me was being manipulated by Naraku much like Sango was on our first meeting. He is Shippo's cousin and he will keep us both safe for a little while. He has offered to train me and Shippo some and I accepted. I want to be able to help rather then always being the one who need's protecting. I'm not going to tell you where I am because I know if InuYasha finds me he will take me away immediately to hunt for more shards and I think this is more important. There are hardly any shards left and the final battle will take place soon. I love you all please be safe. Please don't worry.

-Your friend Kagome

Kagome put down the pen and blew on the ink to dry. She then folded it and sat down to wait and to think about what her friends were doing now. She was worried what they would do once they found her gone. InuYasha was probably forcing everyone to work extra hard to find her and they were probably all really worried. She hoped she could get this letter to them somehow to put their fears to rest.

Kagome felt rather conflicted on the subject of her friends finding her or not. On the one hand she wished they were here with her. They could help with her training and even though she had only been conscious for a little over a day, she already missed her friends company. On the other hand was the mental image that came with InuYasha finding her. She could picture the scene quite well. InuYasha would come sword blazing and attack Youko no questions asked. Youko had sworn not to hurt her friends but if InuYasha attacked him he could hardly be blamed for defending himself. One of them would be hurt, probably InuYasha. On top of that even if she did stop them from fighting InuYasha's reaction to her would not be good and there was no way in hell he would let her train. He would just tell her she was a lost cause and she needed to get back to shard detecting. Kagome mentally winced at the fight that was going to come when she saw InuYasha next. She felt a little cowardly for not telling him in person she was going to train but she knew this was the only way it was going to happen.

Kagome's wandering thoughts were soon interrupted when Youko arrived back in the den with a bulging cloth sack slung over his shoulder. When Kagome looked up the sight of Youko entering the den took her breath away. He stood tall and proud with his long silky hair draped behind him and his golden gaze looking directly at her. The morning light was behind giving off the illusion that he was glowing. His clothing left his well toned arms free to be gazed upon as well as a small portion of his finely toned chest. He was without a doubt the most perfect male her eyes had ever landed on. He had a regal look to him much like Sesshomaru but he also had cute ears like InuYasha plus a beautiful tail. The real winner was he was neither cold and aloof like Sesshomaru nor rough and brash like InuYasha but instead seemed to have a more polite and animated personality, that is at least if you were on his good side. Kagome quickly forced her thoughts on something other then Youko's body. It was difficult but necessary. Kagome had learned over the years with InuYasha that demons could smell nearly anything including, to her utmost horror, arousal. Kagome put all her practice to good use and instead concentrated on greeting Youko.

"Good morning Youko." Kagome said with a friendly smile.

"Good morning to you Kagome. I'm surprised to see you awake so early in the morning. I trust you slept well? I hope I did not wake you when I went to gather supplies." Youko stated with a slight hint of worry to his voice.

"No I just woke up a few minutes ago. I'm used to getting up early. We often get up early to search for shards."

Youko nodded in response understanding her quest. They were interrupted by a big yawn from Shippo as he woke up that morning. It only took Shippo a moment to wake up fully energized once he noticed he was missing out on a conversation.

"Uncle Youko what's in the bag? Did you bring anything for me?"Shippo said, suddenly curious, his fox nature getting the best of him.

Kagome couldn't help but notice how genuine Youko's smile was when he spoke to the kit and how incredibly beautiful. To her he was polite but a little reserved however with Shippo Youko was quite affectionate. It was obvious that he was happy that Shippo was acknowledging him.

"Yes, actually I have things for both you and Kagome to help with your training. I would like us to start today if possible for both of you." With that Youko took his bag and started to empty the contents out on a table. Within the bag was various seeds, a small dagger, a small sword and a pile of thick books. Kagome could read the spine on one of the books it read, 'A miko in training theories and practices vol.#8'. Kagome groaned silently in her head. 'Just what I need, More studying' she thought to herself.

"Uncle Youko what are the seeds for and why so many books?" Shippo inquired in a confused but interest tone. Youko picked up the dagger and explained.

"The seeds and dagger are for your training as is the sword once we master those items. You are going to learn how to use the dagger first so that you are not helpless and then I will teach you seed manipulation and energy manipulation and how to use a rose whip. If your training goes well and you go through a transformation then we will start with a sword. When you mature into an adult your spirit levels should be high enough that seeds and foxfire will be enough but as you are still young and will likely run out of energy quickly so a sword is a good back up for you. The books are for Kagome's training so she can learn more about miko powers like healing and barriers. We will also go through weapon training but Kagome gets to choose her weapon. I plan to teach you a little and then once you are practicing I will start reading the books to Kagome."

"That's not fair why does Kagome get to pick and I don't? I want a big axe! Please uncle Youko I want something cooler then a dagger." Shippo wined.

"You do not get to choose because you are just a kit and will choose wrong. You could not even pick up an axe let alone wield one and you could never conceal one while practicing illusions. Kagome on the other hand already is proficient with a bow and a dagger." Youko scolded Shippo. He looked up when Kagome cleared her throat to but in.

"Youko why would you read me the books?" Kagome asked puzzled.

Youko looked at her equally confused. Was she not aware what a book was for? It was obvious wasn't it? Was she so uneducated that she did not know what was useful about books? Maybe people did not read in her time. It was strange given how well spoken she seemed.

"I need to read you the books because they contain information about mikos and their abilities. If I read them to you, you should be able to gain their knowledge." Youko felt disappointed as he explained. The girl had seemed rather smart before but now she was lowered in his mind to a simple commoner.

"Well yes of course but that's not what I meant." Kagome stated as Youko simply stared at her unsure what answer she was looking for. Kagome tried again. "Why do you need to read the books to me? I can just read them myself can't I?"

Youko was so shocked by her statement that the dagger he was holding fell from his grasp and thudded harmlessly onto the table..

"You can read?" He asked incredulously. Almost no one could read in this era. Even he wasn't particularly fast at it though he did pride himself on his ability.

"Of course I can. I told you I'm from the future. I have an amazing level of education for this era. I have read hundreds of books. I even taught Shippo. He is still learning some of the bigger words though. He is also learning his numbers." Kagome said this all matter of factly like it was the most obvious thing in the world. For her it was but for Youko It was shocking.

"Actually I wrote a letter just a bit ago and I was wondering if you can deliver it to my friends so they wont worry. Miroku the monk can read it." Kagome handed the letter to Youko who was still recovering from this information. He looked over the letter and was further surprised by the neat handwriting. Kagome was truly a woman of many hidden talents. He nodded that he would take the letter.

"Alright then that changes our plans. Today Shippo and I will go over training with a dagger while you Kagome will read the books and try to master miko basics. Let the training begin."

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Sorry it took so long everyone. Writers block and a busy schedule were hard to shake. Most of the training will be glossed over. Thank you for all the reviews they really helped motivate me when I felt lazy.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Training and new techniques

Kagome, Youko and Shippo soon fell into a routine everyday for their training. They would get up at dawn everyday and eat breakfast. After breakfast they would leave the cave to a near by meadow where Youko would teach Shippo how to use a dagger and Kagome was left to her large stack of books. Later they would have lunch and then Youko would spend an hour or two more teaching Shippo the finer points on how to make illusions and how to use his foxfire magic. Youko would then leave Shippo to practice and he would go over some combat training with Kagome. This would proceed for a few hours until they ran out of daylight and then they would eat dinner. At night Youko would sometimes go out to "procure" supplies but otherwise evenings were spent relaxing, socializing and getting ready for the next day.

Youko was rather impressed with how advanced Shippo's illusions already were when they started training, it meant he had a good grasp on his spirit powers which would make it easier once they started his more advanced weapon training and seed manipulation. All Youko really could teach Shippo was how to conceal his tail. Shippo had trouble with this because most of the time he wasn't aware that it was still there. Youko made Shippo practice over and over again doing transformations and was able to talk Shippo through hiding his tail. Shippo was a quick learner and after the first time he managed to hide his tail was able to repeat the process without difficulty. Unfortunately as good as Shippo already was with illusions he was terrible with his foxfire and had no combat skills whatsoever. Youko was actually surprised Shippo had managed to survive as long as he had with no combat skills. It was really no wonder that his illusion skills were so good. He needed them to run away and hide.

It was unusual for a kitsune's foxfire and illusions to be at such vastly different levels because mostly they required the same skills, spirit energy and concentration. Youko was a little disappointed after seeing Shippo's very skilled illusions in seeing his foxfire though he did not let it show. Shippo should have been able to cast a powerful enough fire at his skill level to toast a medium sized Youkai but instead he could hardly light dry kindling to start a fire. At first Youko was a little baffled but soon as he got to know his little cousin he realized that Shippo simply did not put the will to kill behind his attacks. Shippo was not naive of the cruelties in the world but even though he had seen much evil in his young life he still didn't really want to hurt anyone, a byproduct of being raised by Kagome no doubt. Youko -always the strategist- decided to use Shippo's nature for good rather then try to change Shippo's nature. Because Shippo did not want to cause harm to anyone Youko worked on teaching Shippo foxfire barriers to protect himself and his friends as well as foxfire cages to hold or slow enemies. These techniques were much trickier then simply toasting an enemy but Shippo worked extra hard at them because he was much more eager to learn them then he was to start hurting others. Youko still worked on Shippo's foxfire attacks but he tried to emphasize the use of foxfire as a way to protect. It was definately apparent that Shippo would never make a mighty warrior as he hadnt the heart for it but he did make some progress and after about 2 weeks he could kill a lesser Youkai if necessary though he would only do it as a last resort.

On the other hand in less then a month Shippo learned to make very silid barriers of foxfire to protect himself and anyone close by, something that often took six months to a year to learn. These barriers were strong enough that even Youko had trouble getting in given that he was not a fire type of Kitsune. Within days of learning the barrier techniques Shippo was able to make a shaky cage of fire that he could enclose an enemy in and hold for about 5 minutes, something nearly impossible for a kitsune so young and spiritually undeveloped. With as fast as Shippo's training was going Youko felt much better about allowing Shippo to continue his dangerous travels in the troubled times of the feudal era.

One might think that Shippo's progress was unbelievable or unreasonably fast but Youko upon speaking with Shippo knew exactly why he was such a quick study. It was revealed nearly every time Shippo opened his mouth and talked about the training and what he was learning. Listening to Shippo always made Youko wish he had been there for the young kit. Shippo would say things like, 'Man uncle Youko if I had known this when the beaver Youkai had attacked then maybe Miroku wouldn't have had to use his wind tunnel that one time' or 'Maybe next time I get attacked Kagome wont get hurt so bad like when the monkey attacked me.' Shippo, for better or worse, lived a life of danger and he knew better then most his age that the more he learned the better his chances of survival were. That coupled with his eagerness to be useful to the ones he cared about made Shippo very serious about learning and trying extra hard. He was also young and lived in a group that had amazing talents that seemed commonplace to him. This meant that there were no thoughts of 'this is to hard' or 'I could never learn this' like would be prominent in most young Kitsune because he had seen his own allies do things even harder or more fantastic many times before. Shippo was a quick study because he was desperate to learn and willing to work hard at it.

After Shippo's dagger training which was progressing well and his spirit training that was progressing amazingly Youko started his training with Kagome. Originally Youko had planned on teaching Kagome another weapon at this time but upon a discussion with Kagome they had decided against it. Kagome possessed awesome spiritual powers and unlike Shippo she was already a master archer and she could do alright in a pinch with her dagger. Her biggest faults were her incomplete and rather sporadic miko training and what to do if she was without her weapons especially if faced with a youkai. Yes, she could purify on contact but that required concentration and speed so it was tricky and Youkai were so fast that there was often a chance that they would cut her to ribbons before she got an opening.

Youko came up with a theory of his own on what could be done to improve Kagome's chances of survival. Youko could not teach Kagome specific spells but he was able to provide guidance given that miko and Youkai spirit energy were similar. He was able to help her learn how to pump her miko energy through her body to help increase her speed and stamina. At first Youko wasn't sure he could teach a human such a technique given that it required a great deal of knowledge of how the body worked and where the blood in a body pumps, something that Youkai could feel and humans could not. It surprised him when he was explaining the technique to Kagome this was not a problem as she already knew quite well how blood circulates through the body. Once again Youko was amazed at this young woman's knowledge and he was becoming more and more intrigued by her. She was so much more intelligent then any other woman he had ever met. After only 2 days Kagome was able to use the technique Youko had described to her and in less then a week he was teaching her hand to hand combat and some more dagger training faster then she had ever gone before. True Kagome could still not throw a punch like InuYasha and she wasn't as fast as Koga but in the future if a lesser Youkai attacked she could now hold her own and if a demon like Youko attacked her then death wouldn't be quite as certain and her ability to buy time or run away was greatly increased.

Most of the important training Kagome did was actually with her nose in a book. Kagome had a rather extreme love/hate relationship with those books. She loved that they existed and that they contained the knowledge she wanted, and they did contain a lot of useful information. On the other hand she was sometimes so frustrated with the author -and they were all written by the same one- that she wanted to throw the books in the fire. Not only were they dry and more dull then any professor she had ever had but they also sometimes contained large sections that were completely useless and made her spitting mad. For instance in the third book there was a chapter that read Miko's and Chastity. Kagome thought this would contain info on miko's and their powers and if remaining chaste would cause any changes thereof. Instead it droned on and on for 150 pages about why the author thought that miko's were above sex and that they should never get married because they were too important and their whole lives needed to be spent purging Youkai so they did not have time for such nonsense. Around 100 pages into the chapter Kagome was certain the woman who wrote the story was a stuck up prude who no one in their right mind would want and she was just trying to make everyone else as miserable and alone as she was (Maybe an ancestor to Kikyo?). Then on the second to last page of the chapter there were these few sentences, "Technically I suppose there are no ill effects to a miko that does not remain a virgin either by choice or otherwise and some second rate miko's do marry. In the one case where a Miko mated a demon she even seemed to stop aging. Of course she was forced to kill herself a few years later once it came about that she was married to a Youkai. She claimed to have not known but any decent Miko can smell a youkai and would kill it the second their eyes made contact." After reading that Kagome really wanted to kill this woman. The whole series was like this too. All the books were riddled with prejudice and opinionated nonsense but riddled between the hateful drabble there would be a sentence that was useful mixed in.

As horrible as it was Kagome made progress on the books. There were about twenty and Kagome averaged one every other day. A lot thankfully she already knew. She already could meditate because Miroku had taught her and she knew herbs even better then the books because of Kaede. Kagome made many pages of notes on anything she thought was useful so that she would never again have to pick up one of those dreadful books again once she finished. Apparently purifying demons on contact was a very advanced technique which made Kagome very proud of herself for knowing. There were actually very few techniques and spells for a miko to learn in Kagome's horrid books and she was pretty sure it wasn't due to the books lacking on any knowledge but just because that was all that had been discovered so far of miko powers. There was how to mask ones scent and aura, how to create barriers, how to break barriers, how to heal, how to purify on contact and how to make energy weapons.

How to break barriers and how to purify on contact were useless to Kagome as she walked through barriers unconsciously with no problems and she could purify on contact already. Amazingly Kagome found that making energy weapons, though an advanced technique, and one the author could not master, was very easy once one could purify on contact. Instead of blasting the magic outward it was blasted inward and formed into a shape. Then with the other hand one could draw out the energy in the form of a bow or arrows. Kagome could even draw out her energy as claws instead that purified if they made contact or a whip. It was very convenient and added a new list of things Youko and her could train.

Mastering barriers, healing and scent and aura masking were actually harder. Barriers required strong concentration, something Kagome wasn't particularly known for. It was hard for her to keep a barrier up unless she was meditating. Scent masking was basically a barrier of another kind that moved with you and was even harder. Healing wasn't exactly hard but it had it's own set of problems. Kagome upon learning the technique was definitely able to heal her small wounds and in theory so long as she truly wished for someone to heal they would as well. Unfortunately healing used both spirit energy and life energy and thus could be dangerous. If a miko really wanted a man who had lost his leg to have it back the miko would most likely feel sick part way through, if they kept trying they would die before anything happened. Miko healing stimulated healing abilities that were already in the subject and if they were not in the subject they would turn on the healer and try to steal their energy to complete the task. This meant that in theory Kagome could help someone with a cold or a nasty infected cut as well as a broken bone but she was not a miracle worker and if someone was missing part of an organ or was on the brink of death and she tried to heal them she might die if she tried too hard. On the plus side through experimentation Kagome found she could heal Youkai as well and it seemed easier with them, probably because they were better at healing in general. Kagome was very happy that she could at least help even if healing wasn't perfect.

****

One very amazing thing happened after Kagome had been in the cave with Shippo and Youko for about a month and it all happened in just one night. On the night of the new moon Kagome decided she would write another letter for her friends. She wrote them letters every week to keep them up to date and Youko delivered them for her. On this night Kagome was especially antsy. She had trouble falling asleep because she worried about InuYasha and how he was fairing on his human night. When she finally did fall asleep in was only a short time before she woke up from a particularly nasty nightmare about being held up with thorny vines and looking into murderous golden eyes. She had woken up right after her dream self had been forced to eat the poison and it was all she could do to not scream as she woke. Shippo had been sleeping next to her and she was careful not to disturb him as she shakily got out of the bed. Kagome wrote a letter to help calm her shattered nerves. Shippo had just mastered a strong barrier for the first time that day and so she wrote about that and all of his and her progress so far. After Kagome finished and calmed down she went back to bed with her kit this time sleeping soundly, Shippo in her arms.

When Kagome awoke the first thing she was aware of was that she was very warm and comfortable. She knew it was still very early because she was still very tired and it was just barely getting lighter in the cave but something was bothering her that her sleep filled mind was having trouble processing. Upon not realizing what was wrong, Kagome- still having not opened her eyes- decided to simply cuddle closer to her kit and go back to bed. Kagome tried to grab her usually tiny fox kit only to be met with an entirely unexpected sensation, The sensation of grabbing a much larger body. Immediately Kagome opened her eyes only to find that she had not been cuddling with her cute little fox kit. Instead there was someone else with red hair in her bed that she had been snuggling up with, and they were naked! Kagome did what any reasonable person in her situation would. She simultaneously jumped out of bed and screamed at the top of her lungs as she toppled over and away from the stranger.

Upon doing this she woke up two others in the cave. One was the naked stranger with whom she had been so close to just moments ago and the other was Youko who was sleeping in his own chambers in one of the off shoot caves. Youko deciding that they must be under attack rushed strait from his cave to Kagome to defend everyone only pausing a second to grab a seed from his hair and transform it into a whip. The stranger awoke with a start and seemed very dazed and confused. He looked at the priestess and tried to get up alarmed at her frightened appearance and started to look around him. As he tried to stand he suddenly felt dizzy like he was way to high up and abruptly lost his balance. Right as this naked man fell at Kagome's feet Youko ran in butt naked wielding a rose whip in his hand ready to do battle. Kagome got a full frontal view of Youko. It was all way too much for the poor sleep deprived priestess. First there was a naked stranger in her bed and now Youko was standing not 10 feet away completely nude as well. Youko upon seeing no enemies and not feeling ashamed of his appearance at all decided to speak

"Are you alright Kagome?" Youko asked quite confused why Kagome seemed so upset. He asked this in a perfectly composed voice as if there was nothing wrong with the whole situation.

Kagome sputtered at the question and mumbled out some words, her poor mind not understanding anything, "Naked man in bed, Shippo gone. Him naked now you naked. Where did all the clothes go? Where is my Shippo?" Kagome looked completely lost and all of the stress and lack of sleep finally got to her and so Kagome fainted.

As Kagome woke up a second time she felt a little less shocked when she opened her eyes. This time Youko was wearing clothing as was the stranger. Shippo was still no where to be found. The stranger and Youko were looking at her when she woke up both with twin looks of concern on their faces. The stranger now that Kagome got a good look of him looked quite a bit younger then Youko. He looked like a Youkai of about 17 years old and she would guess that he was another fox given his tail. Actually upon looking at him Kagome wondered if he was another relative of Shippo's as they had the same colored eyes and hair. As Kagome woke up fully she sat up and asked the only question that mattered in her mind.

"Where is Shippo?"

Youko was the one who answered her with a slightly guilty look on his face. The stranger seemed a little uneasy like he had just done something very bad that he was about to get caught for.

"Uh well you see Kagome there was something Shippo and I forgot to tell you." Youko said rather uneasily afraid he would cause Kagome to faint again. At Kagome's slight nod of her head he continued. "You see we both see you his mother and neither one of us remembered that being human you most likely are unaware of the normal course a youkai body takes. We both were aware of this but in all honesty your humanity simply slipped our minds." At this the stranger nodded which only confused Kagome as he had nothing to do with this. "You see a human ages linearly. They age slowly over time and their bodies grow from childhood to adolescence at the same rate as any other human." Kagome nodded indicating this was right. " Youkai on the other hand are different. A youkai is a child when it is weak. It is an adolescent when it has come into some but not all of its power. It is an adult when it is near the height of its power and then it is old if it so chooses to not exercise its power and waste away. Also a Youkai does not age linearly. Youkai go through transformations. Once we hit a certain power level we change to the next state of our being. We don't know when it will happen we generally just go to sleep one night and then wake up changed the next morning."

Kagome's eyes grew wide at this statement. She was pretty sure she knew where this was going and she didn't like it. Kagome turned from Youko and took a good long look at the "stranger" and knew there could be no doubts. His eyes were not just close to the same color as Shippo's but actually were the same as Shippo's.

"Shippo? Are you really Shippo?" Kagome asked in a meek voice.

"I'm sorry mama. I didn't mean to scare you. I didn't realize it was me you were afraid of when you screamed. I just forgot that you didn't know." Shippo looked down shamefully. He was sad that he had upset Kagome so bad that she fainted. He hoped she wouldn't be too mad at him.

Shippo was shocked when he was swept up in a bear hug. Kagome was crying a little but she was happy he was there and safe with her.

"I love you the same Shippo it doesn't matter what you look like you are still my son. Even though now you look more like my brother." Shippo and Kagome both laughed at that.

********

That day they all got a late start on their training. They discussed what these changes meant for Shippo. Shippo needed new clothing and he would need his own bed as Kagome refused to sleep with what looked like a 17 year old in her bed. He also would start sword training now that he was big enough to wield one. Youko also made Shippo some special seeds with his energy so that he could learn a rose whip. These seeds were very important because Shippo was not a silver fox and so could not make more if he lost them. Youko decided it was always nice to have a trick up ones sleeve in case of emergencies and the seeds would be Shippo's. Youko made it so Shippo could make a whip with them if needed and they could be concealed in his hair. This way if Shippo's weapons were taken he would not be defenseless and he would have the element of surprise as no one would expect a forest kitsune like Shippo to have a silver kitsune's weapon.

Training again fell into a routine and after a second month it was decided it was time to go. Kagome had learned all she could from her books and while she still needed practice it wasn't anything she couldn't do on the road. Shippo too still needed training but he was no longer helpless. On the next night of the new moon Kagome decided they needed to go the following day. She needed to visit her mom and then they needed to continue their quest.

It was right after breakfast when Kagome decided to broach the topic.

"Youko I think we need to go now." Kagome looked up at her companion that showed only a hint of surprise and continued. "We need to continue our quest and return to our companions or else our friend Miroku will die soon. I can't thank you enough for all you have done for us and you are welcome to join us at any time if you want." Kagome's eyes started to water. She really liked Youko and she really didn't want to leave him. He kind of felt like family now. She had spent two whole months living with him and she had never felt so secure in all her time in the feudal era. Youko was strong and confident but he was also funny and mischievous. Leaving Youko kind of felt like leaving a nice warm house to go out into a blizzard.

"Alright when do we leave?" Youko inquired questioningly.

"Today if possible. Wait."Kagome looked up as Youko gathered some of his supplies a bubble of hope growing in her chest. "We?"

"Of course. You did say I was welcome did you not?" Youko looked at Kagome as she nodded woodenly. "Well then I am coming. I'm not going to simply let you ruin all the work of these last two months and get yourselves killed. Besides this Naraku character lied to me and I intend to teach him a lesson on what happens to those that lie to Youko Kurama." Youko watched Kagome's reaction expecting her to be happy. He was suddenly put ill at ease however when he scented tears. Youko ceased all movement and turned towards Kagome. "Kagome, Why are you crying?"

Kagome threw herself into Youko's arms and gave him a big hug. Youko's perverted mind couldn't help but notice how nice it felt to have her perfectly sized breasts brush up against his chest. She then preceded to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"I'm just so happy." Kagome gave him another big hug and started about her chores in a much lighter mood then she had been. Sure there were bound to be problems introducing Youko to InuYasha but everything would work out just fine. She completely failed to notice Youko holding his cheek with a silly grin on his face.

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Well that took a little while but here is a nice long chapter to make up for the wait. Next time Youko meets InuYasha. Kagome also visits her mom. I would like to sincerely thank all of my reviewers. I read every review and they all make me really happy. Special thanks to multi reviewers and I look forwards to any and all future reviews. I'm a little shocked I'm already to 84 and I'm only maybe a quarter of the way through with the story. I do have a very rough outline for the story written so I wont ever abandon it I just might take a few weeks to update if I have particularly difficult writers block.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7, Going home and meeting friends

Kagome and her group of three make their way through the forest heading north. The morning was pleasantly warm and the leaves on the forest floor made a satisfying crunch under their feet. It was a perfect day for traveling, warm and sunny but with enough of a breeze to keep you cool. Kagome had decided to go to Kaede's village to catch up with the rest of her friends because sooner or later that is where they would have to be. Today was their third day of travel and Youko assured them that they should get to their destination by the early afternoon.

Everyone was dressed comfortably for travel. Youko and Shippo wore clothing that was easy to fight in. Youko's outfit was white and Shippos was basically a larger and slightly more adult version of what he used to wear as a kit. Kagome was wearing an outfit similar to miko garbs only it was green instead of red. Her school uniform had been ruined in her fight with Youko and so Youko had provided clothing for her. She had been surprised at the color when he had presented her with it when she had started her training. Youko had told her that it was only proper that a miko wear miko clothes and that Shippo had told him that she usually objected because she looked like Kikyo in the red ones so this solved that problem too. Kagome loved the outfit because it felt more like she belonged in this era while still reflecting her uniqueness. Maybe now villagers wouldn't call her a demon or think her indecent.

Kagome had not realized how much she missed traveling until they set out. The feudal era was very beautiful and the air smelled so much better then in the modern era. Sometimes Kagome felt like she couldn't really breath when she returned to her home though before she came to this era she didn't really notice that the air was not fresh. On the other hand nothing in this era held a candle to her own warm bed or her bath tub.

Youko was a great travel partner. He would tell jokes while they traveled and he would provide shelter with his plants and food as well. Traveling with Youko really make Kagome feel spoiled. When she was with the shard hunter group there was always a lot of work to do but now Youko usually just snapped his fingers and the plants would do all the chores needed. Youko even made sure they camped near water every night so they could wash off the dirt from travel, something that even with all of her pleading InuYasha was unlikely to do. Now that Shippo was more mature he was also a lot easier to travel with then he had been. Shippo would make their cooking fire every night by gathering wood and lighting it with foxfire. He didn't wine like he did as a kit nor did he cry when he was upset. She missed him cuddling with her at night but she had to admit it was a lot easier to travel without the added weight of Shippo on her shoulder or the responsibility of taking care of a child. Kagome smiled at the thought of what would happen now if Shippo tried to jump on her shoulder. They would probably both end up face planted in the ground looking similar to a "sat" InuYasha.

As Youko had predicted right around noon the village came into view. As soon as Kagome saw it a wave of relief and then dread hit her. She was relieved to be back but she was not looking forwards to the fight with InuYasha that was sure to take place. Kagome stopped and turned to Youko.

"Youko I should probably warn you that Inuyasha is not going to be happy when he sees us." Kagome spoke a little nervously. At this Youko raised an eyebrow.

"You are friends are you not? Shouldn't he react with joy at knowing you are ok?" Youko inquired. Kagome had said that InuYasha was rash, protective and strong. Youko had already seen enough to deduce that when he had been stalking them before. He had not been close enough to hear them most times however. If he had he might understand how verbally abusive InuYasha was likely to be once he met up with Kagome again.

"Well yes he will be relieved but he isn't really good at showing his feelings. He will especially not like you and he might yell at me when we see each other. He might attack you because he will know you are the one who attacked me. I understand that InuYasha might get hurt if he attacks you just please however he reacts don't kill him. Please promise me." Kagome pleaded with Youko knowing she was understating the confrontation that was going to happen. Shippo knew as well but he chose to keep quiet, lost in his own thoughts about how everyone would react to his transformation.

"You need not worry. I will not kill your friend. I already swore to you and I will keep my promise."Youko stated calmly. Really it was quite reasonable that the hanyou might attack him. He would do the same if he was in InuYasha's place. It shouldn't be too hard to not kill one simple hanyou.

Kagome smiled and nodded her thanks much relieved that she had spoken to Youko. She knew Youko would keep his promise. The thought never crossed her mind that she should worry about Youko's safety. She knew that it would be a cold day in hell before InuYasha could best him.

Kagome continued her trek to the village and to Kaede's hut. No one stopped them and no irate hanyou's stormed out to greet them. Some villagers looked apprehensive when they noticed the two demons but as soon as they saw Kagome these relaxed. They were used to Kagome bringing home strange guests and they had learned to trust her. By the time Kagome made it to Kaede's hut she knew InuYasha must be away from the village. There was no way they would make it this far otherwise.

Kaede was home and she greeted Kagome calmly despite the two unfamiliar demon guests. Most likely someone had told her already that they were on their way to her.

"Ay child I see that you have come back from your quest at knowledge. Were ye successful in your training? I see ye bring guests as well."

"Shippo and I were both very successful Kaede-sama. Shippo learned a lot of new Kitsune magic and I was able to learn a lot of advanced miko training, I can even heal now." Kagome was excited as she told this to Kaede. She quickly remembered her manners and so bowed and then nodded in Youko's direction.

This is Youko Kurama, Shippo's cousin, and the Youkai whom trained us both. He has been very kind and offered to travel with us. Youko this is Kaede the older sister of Kikyo of whom I am the reincarnation." Kagome introduced the two to each other. Both bowed to each other in greeting. Kagome did not fail to notice Kaede's eyes widen in recognition to Youko's name.

"Your reputation proceeds ye Youko Kurama. So long as ye offer no harm nor theft in this village ye be welcome." Kaede stated to the thief seriously. Youko eyes raised as he was taken back by her statement.

"You would welcome one such as I even knowing my reputation?" Youko's tone was incredulous as his normally composed features conveyed shock. "No ningen village has ever welcomed me. Just being Youkai has been enough reason to shun me. Are you certain you would welcome a youkai not to mention a bandit thief in your village?" Youko was quite surprised. He had known when he had entered the village there would be trouble, there always was. He had been surprised at the villagers reactions but he has still assumed he would be asked to leave by the old miko.

"Ye are a freind of Kagome's are ye not? Kagome has brought many a freind to this village youkai, hanyou and human and none have brought harm. So long as ye hold her trust ye hold the trust of the village. Do not betray that trust Youko Kurama." Kaede's tone was serious even though she was well aware that the demon in front of her could kill her in the blink of an eye if he so chose.

"I shall not lady miko. You may be assured that I will not harm either Kagome or the village so long as I am welcome." Youko bowed to Kaede awed a little that this village trusted Kagome so much. Never had he met any ningen so well loved by those around her.

Kaede turned to face the other member of their party and she looked him over top to bottom.

"Ye could not be young master Shippo? Ye seem like ye grew up all at once. Ye are not playing tricks on an old woman with your illusions again are ye?" Kaede spoke in a soothing voice not at all disapproving just inquisitive.

"No Kaede it's really me just the new and improved better me. I'm so strong now. Just wait until I see InuYasha he won't know what hit him. He is going to be so sorry when I get him back for all the times he thumped me on the head. Do you know when they are gonna be back? I want to surprise them. I wonder if they will recognize me. I bet everyone except for Inu-baka will." Shippo stated all this in a blur talking fast and excitedly. Older body Shippo might have but he was still full of energy and excitable.

"No, Shippo I know not when they will return." Kaede suppressed a small chuckle at Shippo's excitable nature. "They went on a shard hunt and have been away for a few days. They may be back at any time be it an hour or be it a week. Ye may all stay here if ye like but it may be a while. I would recommend that the Lady Kagome visit her home only because she has been away for so long. Without a doubt InuYasha will want to leave immediately once he notices that Kagome is back. He has been quite impatient."

"I bet he has been." Kagome winced at the thought of the impatient hanyou. He hated even a days delay how would he have faired at a two months delay?

"Thank you Kaede I think I will take your advice and travel through the well if only to tell mom I am ok. Thank you for the information. I will be back soon. Maybe tonight or tomorrow morning." Kagome turned to Youko and Shippo intent on getting their opinion on the matter.

"Will you two be alright if I visit my home? I can stay if you need I just don't want my family to worry about me."

"You do not need to worry about us. We can fend for ourselves for one day. It's probably better that we part for a short time anyway I would like to scout around for a nearby cave or shelter. We might be here for a while and I would prefer to have a comfortable home to stay in close by." Youko reassured Kagome.

"I'll be fine mama. I want to show off to Kaede what I can do now and see if anyone can recognize me. Can you bring me chocolate if you are visiting home? Pretty please?" Shippo gave Kagome a pleading look in hopes to convince Kagome to bring back some of the sweet tasty stuff from the future. If she brought enough he might even share with Youko, maybe.

Kagome laughed at Shippo and promised to bring some if he was good. She then bid her farewell to Kaede and exited the hut. Kagome headed to the bone eaters well and to her home. Youko and Shippo offered to walk Kagome to the well and she accepted. She could probably find it in her sleep now she had been through it so many times and she was strong enough now that she really didn't need an escort but she knew Youko was probably curios what a time traveling well looked like. Soon they could see the well in the distance. Youko agreed to be there to pick Kagome up the next morning. They bid farewell and Youko and Shippo left.

As she approached the clearing Kagome was greeted by the sight of the familiar well and she was relieved to see it. She was excited by the idea of going home and she was looking forwards to showing off her new powers to her family. She never really could show off much before except that she could use a bow. Her family not being spiritually aware couldn't even see the purification on the arrows. Kagome jumped down the well and was filled with familiar warmth as the magical blue light engulfed her bringing her 500 years into the future.

****

500 years in the future Kagome climbed up the well and into her own time. She always felt guilty for leaving her duties in the feudal era but she knew these trips were important not to mention a relief. She felt safe in her own time like she never felt in the past. She had a family and friends and a life here not to mention a need to restock supplies.

Kagome was walking out of the well house and towards her home picking up speed as she went. She had missed her mother, Souta and Grandpa. Before she even made it to the door the first greeting was screeched in her direction.

"Kaagggooommeee!!" Souta ran as fast as he could and barreled into his sister with enough force to knock them both onto the ground. Kagome could have dodged but really where is the fun in that? They were both laughing as they picked themselves up off the ground.

"Hey Souta miss me much?" Kagome said with a laugh ruffling her brothers hair with one hand as they walked towards the house. "Hey is there anything for lunch? I haven't eaten yet and there isn't anything in the feudal era like mama's cooking."

"You came just in time dear I just finished making some udon for lunch you can sit down and join us." Kagome's mom came over and gave Kagome a big hug before setting lunch out for the family.

"Grandpa lunch!" Souta yelled up the stairs. "And Kagome's here so you better be nice!"

From up the stairs a distinct voice could be heard, "Why in my day children had more respect for their elders. No telling them to be nice and no consorting with youkai.... Ah Kagome it's nice to see you back. How long will you be here?" Grandpa's voice became inviting as he greeted Kagome.

"I was planning to stay through the night. I would stay longer but InuYasha could be back any time and he isn't going to be very happy." Kagome grimaced at the thought as they all sat down to eat. She then proceeded to tell them the whole story starting from her last time home, only skipping the more gruesome details of her first meeting with Youko, instead stating that he had kidnapped her. Truth be told she still had nightmares from that battle and she wasn't really willing to talk about it. Besides she often edited her travels a little for her family so they would not worry so much. It wouldn't do either them nor her any good.

"So that's what happened. I am a much better fighter now though. I am stronger and faster and can even make weapons out of energy and heal. I'm even learning how to make barriers." Kagome was excited about all she had learned. Somehow she felt like what she could do wasn't very special until she did it in her own era. It was like doing it at home made it more real instead of some sort of feudal fairy tale.

Kagome and her family waited until the evening when the shrine was no longer populated before they all gathered outside to watch Kagome show off her new powers. Kagome had spent the day gathering supplies for the trip including a new backpack, plenty of ramen, chocolate, some studying material (someday she hoped to make it into college), and a black jewel orchid plant for Youko that she had seen at the super market. She hoped he would like it, the florist had said they were not native to Japan and that they were pretty hardy for orchids. Kagome couldn't think of anything else to get Youko on her tight budget and it might be nice in his new home if he found one. After they all gathered outside Kagome started with warm ups and then proceeded to show off. She jumped to the top of the sacred god tree in one leap, She ran around the house so fast they could hardly see. She destroyed targets with her energy whip- she was a little disappointed they couldn't see the whip- and then as a grand finale she healed a scrape Souta had on his knee. When Kagome was finished she looked at her family for their reactions.

"Wow Kagome that was so cool. Can you jump onto the tree again? That was awesome. You are even stronger then the super heroes in my video games. Are you stronger then InuYasha now? I bet you are going to defeat Naraku in no time now." Souta's reaction made Kagome's chest swell with pride and she couldn't help bet grin happily. Her mother was next.

"Now Souta, Kagome must be tired now. You should let her get some rest. In fact it's about your bedtime so you should go wash up and brush your teeth. If you don't get your rest you will never grow up to be as strong as your sister."

"But mooommm." Souta wined.

"No buts mister in bed, teeth brushed." Souta stomped away dejectedly.

"Kagome, I can't tell you how happy and proud I am of you. I know you don't tell us everything that happens and I always worry for your safety on the other side of the well. I'm happy I don't have to worry as much any more. I want to tell you that no matter what InuYasha says you did the right thing in leaving for training. Your safety is more important then a few more months. If he is too mean just send him to me and I will set him strait." Kagome's mom then hugged her tightly and Kagome hugged her back trying not to cry in happiness, her mom thought she did the right thing. Her mom then whispered in her ear, "By the way I agree with Souta that was cool," and then she quickly turned towards the house and to bed leaving Kagome with her strangely silent Grandfather.

As Kagome approached her Ji-chan she started to worry. He was looking downwards and she couldn't see his face.

"Ji-chan? Aren't you happy?" Kagome asked a little unsure.

"Happy?" He then looked up and Kagome could see his tear streaked face. " Yes, I am happy but even more I am proud. I have never felt so proud in all my life." He wiped his eyes. "Today your ancestors are proud Kagome. No, miko Kagome now. We have a true miko again in the family. It has been so long that I was beginning to doubt. Thank you Kagome you have given me hope again." He then hugged his granddaughter and left her like the rest of the family to go to sleep. Kagome soon went to bed as well content in the knowledge that her family was happy with her. Tomorrow she would go back but for tonight she could actually sleep in a real bed.

Kagome climbed through the well and back into fresh air. She wasn't really expecting anyone yet because she was still a little early. She had woken up and she just could not get back to bed. She wanted to see Youko and Shippo and see if they liked her gifts. As she set everything down on the ground and was dusting her clothes off she stopped abruptly as she sensed Jewel shards coming in fast. Kagome readied her bow and arrow and waited for the one wielding the shards. When the person came into view Kagome's heart sank and she slowly lowered her bow.

"Hello InuYasha." Kagome greeted as InuYasha came to a skidding halt before he started his tirade.

"Wench how dare you! You fucking left for two fucking months. What the hell was going in that stupid fucking head of yours. Training? What the hell kind of training does a damn shard detector need? You left and I bet you aren't even stronger. I told you I could protect you I always did before and I always will. Dammit Kikyo would never do this shit. What in the hell was going through your mind you idiot?"

Kagome couldn't answer. She knew he would be mad and he was always abrasive but this was even worse then she thought. She knew he didn't mean it but after two months in Youko's company always being treated so nicely she wasn't as desensitized to his rude mouth as usual. She had been so happy before and had felt so good but this was like a punch in the gut. All Kaome could mumble out was an quiet apology as InuYasha grabbed her bag stepping on the unnoticed plant on the way. This was the last straw, seeing Youko's gift ruined, Kagome started to cry.

********

Unknown to Kagome and InuYasha Youko saw and heard the entire exchange. He had gotten to the well hours ago in hopes that Kagome would be back soon. Even though she had been gone less then a day he missed her more then he thought possible. He had sensed the hanyou and had thought things might go smoother if Kagome could talk to InuYasha first. After hearing the disgusting words come from the filthy hanyou's mouth Youko regretted promising Kagome to not kill the idiot. He wanted nothing more then to rend the flesh off of the dog demons bones. Once he smelled the tears Youko lost all control and his eyes bled red.

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Sorry it took so long but I hope you all enjoy the chapter. I think I am going to start making them shorter so I can update more frequently. Thank you for all the reviews I appreciate them all they provide a lot of encouragement.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8, Youko and InuYasha meet

_Unknown to Kagome and InuYasha Youko saw and heard the entire exchange. He had gotten to the well hours ago in hopes that Kagome would be back soon. Even though she had been gone less then a day he missed her more then he thought possible. He had sensed the hanyou and had thought things might go smoother if Kagome could talk to InuYasha first. After hearing the disgusting words come from the filthy hanyou's mouth Youko regretted promising Kagome to not kill the idiot. He wanted nothing more then to rend the flesh off of the dog demons bones. Once he smelled the tears Youko lost all control and his eyes bled red._

Youko leapt out of the forest and strait towards InuYasha. The hanyou barely had time to drop the bag and dodge the attack as a whip made of thorns came within an inch of his right eye. InuYasha was off guard and it showed in his words.

"What the fuck... Who the hell are yo...." InuYasha was cut off as he was forced to leap out of the way of another attack. In true InuYasha fashion he gave up on talking and pulled out the Tetsusaiga. InuYasha swung the sword out and intercepted the whip with the blade fully expecting to sever the flimsy looking vine.

"Twang" the two weapons met with the loud noise and the vine took no damage as it met the sword. InuYasha not expecting this placed too much of his weight on his front foot and stumbled a bit. He then awkwardly attempted to jump out of the way just a second too slow as the vine already making it's way towards him sliced neatly into his left arm.

InuYasha cried out in pain and guardedly attempted to put distance between him and his new foe while taking stock of his injury. It wasn't bad only about 12 inches long and ¼ inch deep. Painful yes but not threatening at all. InuYasha started to size up his opponent and slow as he usually was on the uptake he was not so slow as to fail to realize the obvious. He was in deep shit. The enemy Youkai was a rare silver kitsune, a breed known for it's power. Even InuYasha with all his lack of education knew to be wary of this breed. To top it off the Kitsune was looking at InuYasha as if he had just insulted his mother. What the hell had he done to piss off a silver?

InuYasha didn't have time to think much more on the subject as Youko lunged at him this time with a fist. It connected perfectly with the half breeds jaw with a satisfying -to Youko- crunch on contact. The punch knocked InuYasha back about 20 feet and into a tree. As InuYasha started to pick himself up from the tree on shaky knees he took stock of a fact that had so far eluded him in this battle. The demon hardly had any scent! In fact all he smelled of was the forest. If they had not been in the clearing around the well then he wouldn't have been able to smell him at all. A realization started to dawn on the hanyou and now a dangerous line of thoughts started to take place in the dog demon's mind. This was the demon who had taken his Kagome. InuYasha was too angry to remember the letters that Kagome had sent or that this demon in front of him had been tricked by Naraku. All he could remember was the rage and the feelings that had overtaken him when he had been helpless to find his best and first true friend.

"You bastard! You are the one who hurt Kagome. You are the one who took her from the clearing. I'm going to kill you you no good piece of shit." InuYasha lunged as Youko easily dodged the pathetic half breeds attack. He had no trouble at all as InuYasha repeatedly attempted to slice him in half with the oversized blade.

So far Youko had taken no damage at all. He wasn't even breathing hard nor did he have a speck of dirt on his white clothing. In contrast InuYasha -the demon whom had dared to speak to Kagome as if she was worth no more then the dirt under his feet- had a nice gash on his arm and his jaw was broken. It was a miracle he could still speak. He was filthy could barely stand and he was panting for breath. Youko had been told that InuYasha was dangerous and powerful by Kagome, and that he had an amazing sword, but so far he had seen no proof of the greatness that both the miko and his cousin seemed convinced this hanyou possessed. This was about to change as InuYasha in a desperate attempt made one of the biggest mistakes of his life.

Shippo rushed into the clearing having felt his uncle doing battle nearby. He had assumed correctly that Inuyasha and Youko were fighting. Miroku and Sango on Kirara's back also made it to the bone eaters well just in time to watch as the action unfolded. The monk and slayer had been left behind in the dust once InuYasha's nose had picked up Kagome's scent about a mile back. They knew InuYasha was going to make an ass of himself as soon as he saw her and they rushed as fast as they could to try to prevent the worst of it. They were expecting maybe a crying Kagome or maybe a verbal fight or possibly InuYasha in a hanyou shaped crater. What they were not expecting was InuYasha with the Tetsusaiga raised at a strange kitsune ready to pull off his signature move with an evil smile on his face not even remotely aware of the brashness of his actions. There was no time left as four voices screamed out in unison.

"InuYasha NO!!!!!!!" Kagome, Miroku and Shippo all shouted.

"Wind Scar." InuYasha grinned as the blade shot down and the attack lunged for the Youkai. His grin quickly faded into horror as he realized that Kagome was only about 10 feet behind the Kitsune. Maybe it was because he had not been traveling with her lately or maybe his rage had completely blinded him but he had failed to note her position. His attack had been released and was streaming true to it's aim. He could not stop it and at this range Kagome was going to be hit full force. She would be ripped to shreds along with the silver haired fox. As InuYasha, Miroku and Sango all watched on in horror Shippo, Kagome and Youko all reacted.

Kagome put up a hastily wrought barrier of miko magic and placed it in front of Youko. She was far more aware of the danger the attack posed to him then she was of the danger she herself was in. The barrier was small and weak but she concentrated with all of her might on getting it to hold. Thankfully she had been paying keen attention to the battle and had already started readying a barrier in case she needed to stop a killing blow from one of the males in front of her. She preyed as the power left her fingertips fully aware that she was not good with barriers.

Youko could sense how powerful the attack was and unlike the half breed was completely aware of where Kagome was. His eyes faded from red back to there more typical golden glow as his rational side took over. Youko turned to shield Kagome with his body rather then dodging the attack. If he had been more selfish he could have left her and dodged just in time but this would have left Kagome helpless so instead he chose to protect her. He held her close to his body and attempted to bring up a barrier of plants. He knew he would not have enough time but he tried anyway.

Shippo knew what to do the second he saw what was happening and did not even have to stop to think as he raised a powerful barrier. Barriers were his speciality and this is exactly what he had been training for -well except that he wasn't supposed to be protecting them from InuYasha. More then anything else it was Shippo that saved him with his foxfire barrier.

The wind scar first hit Kagome's shaky barrier and it only held for about a half a second before shattering explosively. Then it hit Shippo's much more powerful but not fully constructed barrier. The force at which it hit created a loud shriek in the air as the attack was partially deflected and then that barrier also was destroyed. Just enough time was bought for Youko's plants to grow and stop what was left of the wind scar. In the end other then a nasty scare no one was hurt in the attack but everyone was left dumbfounded for a second.

Youko was the first to recover and rather then forcing his plants to recede he put them to better use and redirected them at InuYasha who didn't even attempt to defend himself. They slammed him into the ground and the painfully tightened around him. One coiled around and gagged him so he could not speak. Youko totally ignoring the others in the clearing made his way to InuYasha. Youko placed one hand on InuYasha's throat and whispered in his ear so that only the Youkai could hear.

"Indeed, you are correct, I did hurt Kagome but at least I thought we were enemies at the time. You on the other hand dare to call her friend and treat her worse then the dirt under your feet. The manner in which you dare speak to her is worse then I would speak to the lowest of whores let alone a woman as kind and noble as Kagome. You brought her to tears and just for that crime I wish to make you suffer but then you take it a step further. You, someone she says is her protector, actually put her life in danger. Were I not bound to my word I would kill you. You are lucky that she cares about you when you obviously do not hold her in the same regard. This time I will spare you as it is what she wishes but if you ever harm one hair on Kagome's head no force in Japan will stop me from granting you the most painful death any being has ever had. Kagome is very important to this Youko Kurama and I intend to keep her safe. I will be traveling with your group to help in the hunt for Naraku. Do not think to speak to her in such a manner again for I will not be so forgiving a second time." With the end if his speech Youko slammed InuYasha into the ground so hard that he lost consciousness.

Youko felt his anger start to dissipate. He had sworn not to kill InuYasha and his more bestial side was sated with the smell of the pups blood and the sight of the pathetic state the dog demon was in. He had intended to make friends this day not enemies, but the impudent pup could get away with what he had said and done. Still as much as he wanted to rend all of the flesh from InuYasha he had given his word to Kagome that he would not kill her "Friend." Besides he has done plenty of wrong to the priestess without needing to add 'murdered friend right in front of her eyes' to the already too long list.

Youko let all of the plants recede from the hanyou and left him where he lay. With his demonic healing he would be completely healed in less then a day. He wished he had done more damage but he had promised not to harm any of Kagome's friends and he had already done more harm then he should.

As Youko walked away from InuYasha his friends, the monk and slayer, rushed to check his vitals and bandage his wounds. Youko made his way to Kagome with his hair covering his face from her. She was starting to feel concerned until he looked up at her with his golden gaze. He came right up to her and when he looked up Kagome saw emotions that she did not understand shining in his eyes. There was pain there and fear for her but there was something else as well. Then, while her friends were distracted, Youko claimed Kagome's lips in a passionate kiss to her astonishment. First he was tender and gentle but as she hesitantly responded his kiss became more passionate. He tasted her lips with his tongue asking for entry. When she gasped in surprise he took his chance and deepened the kiss with his warm tongue entering her sweet mouth. He embraced her within his arms and held her tightly as if once he let go he was afraid he would lose her forever. Too soon after it began it was over and Youko broke the kiss and brought his mouth next to the shocked miko to whisper in her ear.

"You are very important to me Kagome. I know not why after we have known each other for such a short time but know that you are. I will leave you to your friends now so you may explain me to them but know I will not be far away." With that Youko plucked a seed from his hair and transformed it into a beautiful red rose and handed it to her. She closed her eyes as she smelled the sweet rose and when she opened them again he was gone.

Kagome's brain was still focused on the amazing kiss Youko had just planted on her lips when her friends finished with InuYasha and started to make their way over to her. She hadn't quite gotten her composure back and was touching her fingers to her lips with a funny little grin on her face when Shippo came to the rescue with a loud greeting snapping Kagome out of her thoughts and gaining everyones attention. As all eyes focused on him Kagome started to collect her things while Shippo handled the talking.

"Hey guys how is it going?" Inquired the adolescent enthusiastically. There was a long pause as Miroku and Sango just stared at this strangely familiar youkai. Then Kirara walked up to Shippo and purred loudly butting her head up to his side. She then gave an adorable "mrow" and transformed into her littler form, hopped onto his shoulder and curled up under his ear. Shippo giggled as she tickled his neck.

"Hey since when am I for riding? I guess you deserve to use me to carry you around huh? I certainly have made you carry me plenty of times." Kirara meowed an agreement and then closed her eyes as if to take a nap on his shoulder. It was Miroku who figured it out first but only just barely. He and Sango looked at each other with twin looks of astonishment on their faces and then they turned to face the once kit now grown youkai.

"Shippo?!?" They both stated incredulously. Kagome had mentioned that he had grown and that they would be surprised but neither had expected this. Kagome had wanted to see to look on their faces as had Shippo. They had conspired together about keeping it a secret. Kagome stiffled a laugh as she hoisted her new backpack over her shoulders and gathered her ruined orchid plant back into it's pot. She knew it was a lost cause but she would present it to Youko anyway. It was the thought that counted, besides he could work miracles with plants who's to say he wouldn't be able to revive it. At the thought of Youko her fingers came up to her lips unbidden and a smile reached her lips brighter then before. With that Kagome found she was in a much better mood. Maybe she should have been worried about InuYasha but honestly she couldn't bring herself to care. She had seen him take much more damage and shake it off and by now she had knocked him unconscious enough times that she knew the signs. He would be awake within the hour and as whiny and grumpy as ever. She lifted the rose Youko had given her to her nose and smelled its sweet scent once again. Yes, she was in a much better mood.

Shippo and Kagome started to fill Miroku and Sango in on the details of their training and Youko's relationship to Shippo while they walked back to the village. By the time they made it to the hut everyone except for InuYasha had gotten the details. There hadn't been that much to say because Kagome had been keeping everyone informed through letters. She was able to show off her new abilities a little more and Miroku loved the story about Shippo's transformation.

"So lady Kagome you woke up to not one but two naked men? May I inquire as to your own state of dress for the occasion?" A boomerang then came down hard on a certain hentai's head.

"Slam, Thud Bonk." And yet again Sango decided to kick the man while he was down. "Stupid hentai monk." She muttered under her breath.

"Well Kagome, I'm glad both you and Shippo received training. I doubt you would have survived todays attack from a certain baka hanyou if you hadn't. I am also happy to welcome anyone who would stand between you and a wind scar." Sango said it earnestly and she meant it with all her heart. She had been terrified when she had seen the attack heading for the young woman she regarded as a sister.

"Indeed I do agree my dear Sango." Stated the monk already recovered from his beating. "It was very brave of him to shield Kagome. He could not have known he would come out unscathed or if he would even come out at all." Miroku nodded wisely for he had noted how if the two barriers had not been resurrected Youko would have taken the brunt of the attack to protect his friend.

Kagome smiled and she hugged her two friends. Shippo went to go find Youko so that everyone could meet him. In the end Youko couldn't have proven his worth better then the way he did. Things may not have worked out ideally as far as InuYasha was concerned but at least Kagome's other friends approved. Even InuYasha would not be able to fault his actions, not that he would ever admit it. It was doubtful the two would ever be friends but maybe they could come to accept each other.

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So I am alive. I hope people still read this I probably would have given up if I were any of you, well maybe. I could say I didn't update due to life, job, cat, or lack of inspiration but those would all be feeble excuses and lies. I think the biggest reason for my lack of updates was the ps3 I got. I received it in September and surprise I haven't updated since September. Well I hope everyone likes this chapter and thank you everyone who reviewed If you hadn't I probably would have given up. I'm probably less then halfway through the story I do plan to continue. Please keep in reviewing and hopefully I can motivate myself not to play final fantasy 13.

-Next time the group starts hunting for Naraku and the shards. Will Sesshomaru join the hunt? And how does he know Youko?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9, shard hunting meeting new friends

After Youko had kissed Kagome he ran away as quickly as he could, not stopping until he made it to his newly acquired den. Once he arrived he didn't settle down but instead opted to pace furiously. He couldn't stay still as his confused thoughts continued to run through his mind. He was anything but calm at the moment. Questions and emotions raged through his mind and were maddening in their intensity. Finally Youko sat down hard on the plain dirt floor and attempted to meditate to calm his raging thoughts. After much difficulty his mind quieted and he was able to start to make sense of all that was going on in his head.

First and foremost was Kagome, the beautiful human priestess whom seemed to be taking up more and more of his thoughts ever since he had first laid eyes on her. At first she had been a hated enemy, someone whom deserved pain and every horror imaginable inflicted upon her being. Youko didn't have a doubt in his mind that if she actually had done the terrible things he thought she had that he would have felt no guilt over the punishment he had planned out for her. The potent poison he had given her only inflicted pain and no other harm to the actual victim. He wasn't lying when he said it would kill her because the end result to that poison would have been death just not in the way most poisons worked. It would not have shut down her system nor stopped her heart nor anything of the sort. Instead she would have writhed it pain until she eventually died from lack of being able to do anything else. The pain would have kept her from eating, drinking and even sleeping. If she was lucky she would die from the wounds he had inflicted or would have chocked on her own spit or maybe had a heart attack. If not she could have lived for days until her body finally had used up every ounce of energy. It would have been a terrible death, but then that had been the point.

Now, Kagome was a friend as unlikely as it seemed. How she had managed to forgive him was a puzzle to Youko. She had been under the effects of his poison for nearly 10 minutes and given the intensity of the torture she had gone through it was actually a miracle that she had remained sane. Regardless though now she was undoubtedly a friend and a good one at that. Now a new question popped up, was she more then that? Youko knew without a doubt she was his friend but that didn't explain his feelings well enough. He had had many friends in his life but would he have put himself in great danger for any of them? Youko pondered on it and found that the answer was no, he wouldn't. He would put himself in some danger for a friend but he could think of no one in the world save Shippo he would have been willing to protect in that particular way with his own body as a shield. This surprised Youko, maybe he viewed her as family? Hmmm, That actually fit rather well. He could see himself protect his family as he protected her no problem. This idea suited Kagome quite well because as Shippo's adopted mother she was family in a way. Youko pondered on the idea of her being his cousins mother and thus his adopted aunt, or maybe cousin. As soon as the term aunt came to him his mind instantly flashed to the hot passionate kiss they had shared not long before. There was no was in hell he would do that to his aunt! Youko shuddered as an image of his real aunt took place in his mental image of Kagome and he kissing, he suddenly felt quite ill. O.k. Youko did not see Kagome in any way shape or form as an aunt or relative. But that only left one option, he saw her as a woman, a potential lover maybe?

Somehow the idea of Kagome as a lover did not quite sit well with him. Youko had taken many lovers in his lifetime. It was expected of a kitsune of his age and power to be quite experienced and Youko was exactly that. Not to mention he was incredibly handsome so finding a willing bedmate had always been quite easy, after all no woman could resist Youko Kurama. At first Youko thought maybe her humanity was the reason he had trouble viewing her as a lover. He had never taken a human as a lover before as he had never been attracted to one in the past. They were usually a cowardly species who would run as soon as they saw him and they usually smelled bad, like rot and feces. He did not see Kagome in that light at all, for she seemed to transcend any preconceptions he had of humans. As he tried to ponder what was wrong with the idea of Kagome as a lover Youko went over a mental image of Kagome in his mind. He could definitely admit he found her attractive, there was no doubt in that. Her body was slender and toned and she had lovely curves in all the right places. Her skin was perfectly tanned and when he looked into her eyes he felt like he could see strait into her soul. When he thought back to their earlier kiss he literally groaned at the thought of her sweet taste and the feel of her warm breasts brushing up against his chest. Her scent, always wonderful, had been even more amazing as the scent of her arousal had surrounded him. Youko's already less then innocent thoughts went to what it would be like if she were to be his lover. The image of him shredding her clothing off of her perfect body came to him. How he would love to see her beautiful breasts and to take them in his hands. The image of her touching him shyly in her innocence made Youko's body react intensely as he soon found himself rock hard and he had to adjust his suddenly too tight clothing. Oh how he would love to hear her scream out his name as he took her body from different positions, from on top, from bellow, from behind. Oh yes, Youko had to admit as he tried to get his body under control that he definitely was attracted to the young priestess. So then what was the problem with the image of Kagome as a lover? Finally Youko realized what the problem was with that image and he did not like it.

Youko did not care about his lovers. They were a means to an end, a night of fun or maybe a week but never more then that. He would never have put himself in harms way for a mere lover. Nor would he think of them as almost family. No, only one type of being could make that kind of an impact in his thoughts. A MATE. Dear Kami, Youko Kurama saw Kagome Higurashi as a potential mate. He a powerful youkai thief was actually considering a pure human miko as a person worthy of bearing his children and living with him for the rest of his life. If he found a mate that would be it, foxes mated for life and this is what he had been unconsciously considering Kagome for. He was not one to lie to himself and he knew it fit perfectly with his feelings. He felt protective, possessive, and had a strong attraction to not only Kagome's body but her mind as well. As Youko came to this realization he felt a warmth in his chest as if the feeling's in his heart wanted to explode from his chest. Youko felt extremely excited and happy as he started to understand his feelings for the beautiful priestess. He didn't care that she was human and he was demon or that she was a priestess and it was the ultimate taboo, all he cared about was that he had amazing feelings for her and he knew she was undoubtedly worthy. He was falling for her and he was falling hard. She was smart, funny, kind, beautiful, strong, brave, she loved children, she held no prejudice against youkai. And as sudden as the happiness came it left as Youko found himself swimming in a pool of doubts, depression, confusion and despair. After all it could never work.

Youko was falling for a woman he had tortured, it was as simple as that. She had forgiven him but how could she ever see him as anything more? The answer to Youko seemed obvious, she couldn't. There was no being in the feudal era who could fall in love with someone who had tortured them as brutally as Youko had Kagome. He knew she still had nightmares about what he had subjected her to, he could hear her whimper in her sleep and ask, 'why are you doing this.' Also even though she hid it well there were times when they were sparring that she would suddenly lose herself to the memories and he would scent her fear of him as all of a sudden and she would shy away. Even though she was worthy of him he was not, nor would he ever be, worthy of her. How could she ever see him as a romantic interest when there were times when she feared him? Youko wished more then anything in the world that there was a way he could go back in time and stop himself from harming Kagome in the past. If he had just thought things through more in the past, if he had made sure before attacking then he wouldn't be in this situation now. Youko had always been so sure he was brilliant in the past but now his mental picture of himself came crashing down around his ears. He was a fool. Youko was so angry at himself that he didn't even realize he had been clenching his fists until the rusty smell of blood reached his nose and a ping ping could be heard as a few drops of his blood hit the dirt floor. Youko unclenched his fists and took a look at his hands noting that he could feel no pain at all because his emotional pain overrode all else. Youko straitened up his back and made a silent vow to himself. There was nothing he could do about the past but he could change the future. He swore that from now on, before he caused such harm again, he would know his enemies and their reasons. Never again would he do such lasting harm to an innocent.

After making that vow Youko felt much better like a weight had been removed from his chest and suddenly he could breath again. As his mind started to clear it went back to the kiss he and Kagome had shared. She had responded to him beautifully. She had kissed him back and her scent had spiked deliciously with her arousal. A smile lit on Youko's face as he finally found a reason to hope. After all she seemed to have enjoyed their kiss as much as he had. She had been surprised at first but she had kissed him back and had practically melted in his arms. With as wonderfully as she had responded he couldn't be completely a lost cause. With that in mind Youko settled on accepting the situation as it was. He was falling for a human miko, one whom he had tortured, but at least she was attracted to him so he would not lose hope. He would do everything in his power to get her to see the good in him and maybe someday she would no longer see him as the being who had done the unspeakable but instead would see him as someone else completely, someone she could love.

After all of this contemplation Youko was calm once more and he had a great desire to see Kagome again. After all there was no time like the present to impress upon her his good nature. He would even try to patch things up between himself and the hanyou, though he did mean what he said, InuYasha would not be allowed to speak to her in that manner again. Still he had done no lasting harm to the whelp so he saw no reason to remain at odds with him, it would only upset Kagome and he could tolerate anyone for her. Youko stood up, dusted his clothes as he had been sitting in the dirt for hours now and went to find Kagome. He ran into Shippo on the way who happened to be looking for him and so they made their way to the village together.

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Kagome couldn't keep her mind off of Youko and the kiss they had shared. She kept touching her lips and she wore a smile on her face. She felt as if she were floating and that nothing in the world could go wrong. She kept going over what Youko had said over and over again in her mind. He had said she was important to him, he had kissed her! The most beautiful man Kagome had ever met had kissed her, this wasn't all some crazed dream was it? But Kagome knew it was no dream, she could still remember what he had tasted like, the feel of his warmth so close to her body. No dream she had experienced had ever been so vivid. How was she supposed to react next time she saw him? Oh god what if he didn't mean it like she thought he did? Maybe Youkai were different from humans maybe kissing her didn't mean he liked her? But what if he did, what if he liked her? How was she supposed to act? What did he want from her? Did people date in the feudal era, she didn't know. What if he changed his mind, maybe he would think she was too old, after all in this era she was past old enough to marry and have kids.... What if he wanted kids? 'Oh no getting way to far ahead of myself there Kagome.' Kagome took a calming breath and let a slightly more rational train of thoughts wash over her.

Youko had kissed her and told her that she was important to him. That was something to remember always and so she would. All it meant was that Youko found her important and at least somewhat attractive, no matter what species you were you did not kiss someone you found repulsive. That was all it meant and she should not look for a deeper meaning, she had done so with InuYasha and all it had done was break her heart. She had thought he had loved her as she did him, he had embraced her multiple times and spoken sweet words to her but in the end he loved Kikyo and that was all. Kagome learned that nothing good came from reading into an others actions- all that would lead to was heart ache. If Youko liked her he would have to make it crystal clear because Kagome refused to play the love struck fool once again. Thinking on her feelings Kagome knew that she liked Youko, and found him frighteningly attractive but that was as far as it went. She was not in love with the fox, at least not yet. At one point in time she could have given her heart out easily but that time was passed. Now any love she felt would take time to grow.

Kagome was no expert on love but if she had been she would have known that it was better this way. Her love for InuYasha had been like a home with no foundation, beautiful and functional right away but bound to fall apart with the first real storm. Her love for Youko would be like a fortress, it would take a long time to build but it would be able to withstand everything that could be thrown at it nothing would ever be able to tear it apart.

As Kagome had predicted, it only took InuYasha about an hour to wake up from his earlier beating. He was in quite a bit of pain especially from his broken jaw but he mostly shook it off, he was a lot of things but a wimp was not one of them. As he took stock of where he was he noted that he was still in the clearing that he had lost consciousness in. Sango and Miroku had dragged him to a nearby tree so he would be sitting up at least and had bandaged his wounds. Miroku had placed a barrier around him so he would not be attacked by any stray Youkai though he hardly needed to, few would dare attack InuYasha in his own forest. Youkai could sense that a powerful youkai – or hanyou as the case may be- lived here and claimed it as territory so they mostly avoided it. As InuYasha got up a small groan escaped his lips and he winced as he moved his jaw. As InuYasha recalled the events he mentally winced as well. His mouth had always gotten him in trouble it was ironic that his jaw was broken now. He hated to admit it but he had deserved it. InuYasha couldn't believe he had put Kagome in danger like that it was totally inexcusable. If "Youko" as he had called himself had not intervened Kagome might have died and InuYasha wasn't sure if he would have been able to live with himself if that had happened. It was true that Youko had attacked first so InuYasha didn't feel bad about the fight it was just that he had put Kagome in danger. InuYasha tried to remember what he had done to piss off the older demon only to remember the words the kitsune had spoken to him before knocking him out.

_'__The manner in which you dare speak to her is worse then I would speak to the lowest of whores let alone a woman as kind as Kagome. You brought her to tears and just for that crime I wish to make you suffer...' _

"Kuso!" InuYasha swore as he began to see what he had done. InuYasha's first thought had been that the kitsune was looking at him as if he had insulted his mother. If you changed mother to lover InuYasha had actually been spot on. Youko saw Kagome as a love interest possibly even as a potential mate given how protective he was being of Kagome. By making Kagome cry it was amazing he had gotten off with just a broken jaw, if someone had spoken that way to Kikyo and put her in danger like he had InuYasha would have torn out their entrails and stuffed them down their throat.

Strangely the idea of this demon liking Kagome didn't bother InuYasha much at all. The kitsune was obviously not a wimp like that pathetic flea bitten wolf was and if he really was going to join the group then he would be a useful ally against Naraku. InuYasha wouldn't mind extra help protecting the wench either. InuYasha cringed as he realized he had mentally called her wench, he was going to have to get used to using Kagome's name otherwise eating dirt would be the least of his worries. InuYasha sighed and after procrastinating as long as he could walked to Kaede's hut. He was going to hate what came next, it was the one thing he hated almost as much as Naraku, apologizing.

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"Oi wen.... Kagome." InuYasha yelled as he walked into the room, old habits die hard.

"Yes, InuYasha." Kagome responded in a careful tone not quite sure she wanted to listen to what he had to say. All thoughts about Youko left her mind as InuYasha entered the room. She had forgotten that she still had to deal with the hanyou.

"I ummm...." InuYasha looked around and was pleased when he noticed no one was in the room to hear him and then he spoke to the floor. "errrr, ummm, god dammit all to hell, i'm sorry I put you in danger!" It all came out in an irate rush. " I'm glad you are alright o.k. I didn't mean anything I said earlier I was just worried about you when you were gone so long!" InuYasha didn't look up at first waiting for a response but when it wasn't forth coming he finally lifted his head. He saw Kagome close to tears and became worried. He hated it when she cried and he didn't really relish another beating from Youko again for making her cry either. "Kagome are you alright?" InuYasha hung his ears low hoping he hadn't upset her.

"Oh, InuYasha." Kagome threw herself at him and hugged him tightly tears leaking down her face. She knew how hard it was for InuYasha to apologize and didn't hold the abrasiveness of it against him at all. "I'm sorry I made you worry I missed all of you guys so much. I promise not to do it again." Kagome wiped her eyes and sniffed her nose as she tried to get a hold of herself. It was always so rare to see a real apology out of InuYasha it was hard not to get emotional.

"Yeah, well you don't gotta cry about it, and i'm holdin' you to that promise wen..... Kagome."

InuYasha was embarrassed by the emotional display and only barely managed to avoid slipping up. It was a good thing he did too because he hadn't noticed Youko listening in on the conversation from behind the building.

Youko was a bandit thief and he knew one could never be too careful. He wanted to gauge the situation a little before he walked into the room. Sensing the monk and slayer returning he waited for them to enter the building first and for the atmosphere to relax before he made his entrance. Shippo was with Youko and waited with him curious of what his uncle was up to. He decided to be quite and observe as this might be another one of Youko's lessons. Shippo was not disappointed as he noted the shear genius that was Youko. He had never thought about listening in from behind the building. It was the perfect spot, no one ever went back here. Once Youko deemed enough time had passed he walked in the opposite direction from the hut and went around the block before returning. It wouldn't due for someone to see him come from behind the building because then they might suspect him of what he had done and then he wouldn't be able to listen in on the future. Youko motioned for Shippo to enter first then took a deep breath and followed.

Everyone except Kagome was on edge the moment Youko entered but that was only to be expected as he was new to the group. InuYasha was actually looking from Shippo to Youko not sure who to address first. As he was about to address Shippo and ask him who the hell he was Kagome butted in.

"Shippo, thank you for finding him." Kagome gave her son a hug. She then walked strait up to Youko and took him by the hand pulling him further into the building. "Come in I will introduce you to everyone." Youko nodded and followed her the few scant steps into the building to where she wanted him to be happy that she had taken his hand. " Everyone I want to introduce you all to Shippo's cousin Youko Kurama. He wants to join us in our quest and he is the one I have sent all the letters about." Kagome smiled as she said this and everyone relaxed visibly. "Youko this is Sango, Miroku, Kirara and InuYasha whom you already met." Youko bowed in greeting.

"It is a pleasure to meet Kagome's friends. She had told me much about all of you and how brave you all are." Youko felt it would be good to stick to the positive and ignore the earlier mishap. He wanted to make a good impression on these people.

"My name is Sango and anyone who would protect Kagome like you did is a friend of mine." Sango bowed to the Kitsune.

"And I am Miroku and I completely agree, you are welcome here." Miroku bowed as well.

"Mrowww" was Kirara's response not to be out done. She walked over to Youko and butted her head affectionately on his leg. Youko couldn't help but smile at that and lowered a hand to scratch behind her ear. He earned a loud purr as response.

As everyone turned to see InuYasha's response to the newcomer the room started to tense for his reaction. Youko kept his face pleasant, he was willing to put up with the whelp for Kagome's sake and after listening in on their conversation he wasn't feeling as hostile as before towards the boy.

"Feh. You can fight and that's all that matters I ain't got no problems." Everyone relaxed at that. From InuYasha that was practically a compliment. Everyone was surprised when he continued to speak. " Are you.... Really Shippo?" He said incredulously. The whole group broke into laughter at the hanyou. InuYasha just turned around with a "feh".

The rest of the day went quite well. Youko traded stories with the rest of the group and they all got to know each other. InuYasha was in a much better mood after Kagome fixed his jaw and he even admitted that the trip away had not been a complete waist of time. Kagome presented Shippo with his chocolate and he was practically bouncing for joy. He did share a very small piece with Youko. Youko loved it and so Kagome promised to get him some next time she was home. They decided to head out in two days and Youko decided to leave after a few hours to furnish his new den. He gave Kagome directions to his new home and she promised to meet him there the next morning for breakfast.

The following morning Kagome made sure to get up early so she could meet with Youko while everyone else slept in. It wasn't hard to do because Kagome had gotten an extra good nights sleep when she went to visit her family the previous night. She brought her broken orchid plant with her in hopes that Youko could somehow revive it. She had her doubts as it was snapped in half and somewhat smashed. She felt giddy with the idea of going to visit Youko as it was the first time they would be alone since he had kissed her. She found his cave rather easily with her map, it was concealed so no one would know it was there but Kagome had lived in one of his caves so she knew what to look for. She shouted a greeting from the door of vines and they parted for her as if by magic. Once Kagome walked in she was stunned by the decor. This cave was even more beautiful then the last one. There were plants all over like before but now there were rich rugs on the floor and beautiful tapestries on the walls. There were vine doors at four different places, she could only assume they were separate rooms and she could hear running water from one of them. The room she was in now had a beautifully crafted dining table that was laden with food that all looked delicious. There was what smelled like fresh bread as well as a giant fruit platter filled with fruits she knew were not native to Japan. Youko was standing near the table watching as she took it all in. He was not disappointed by her reaction. He had worked tirelessly all afternoon and night to make this den as perfect as he could for her. He had bought some of it from a nearby town and some he had moved from one of his stashes. As a legendary thief he had hidden stashes all over Japan and ways to move large objects. One of his best stashes had been not to far away which made furnishind the den that much easier. He had bought the more mundane breakfast foods from the villagers and had grown the fruit himself. He wanted everything perfect for her.

"Youko this is amazing! How did you do all this? This is beautiful." Kagome stared at him mouth wide open in amazement. She tried to look everywhere at once but there was just so much to take in.

"It's no where near as beautiful nor as amazing as you are Kagome but I am glad you like it." Youko presented Kagome with a rose as she blushed a deep red at his statement. "Would you like the grand tour?" Kagome nodded affirmative as she smelled the sweet smelling rose. As he took her hand in his she felt her heart skip a beat. He showed her all the different rooms. There were three sleeping chambers all beautifully decorated and with their own beds and one room with a hot spring. Kagome was shocked that he had found such an amazing cave that no one was using. Youko explained that the cave had been completely closed off and he had only found it by asking the local plants with his magic. He had had the plants dig out an entrance for him otherwise it would be buried by six feet of solid rock. Kagome then asked him a question because she was confused by one aspect of the way he had arranged the den.

"Youko why do you have three sleeping chambers in this den? I understand you having one for Shippo and one for yourself but why not make the third room for storage or something?" Youko gulped uncomfortably at that. He had not been expecting her to pick up on that so he was caught a little of guard. He thought about it for a second to compose his answer and then decided he might as well ask her now.

"Well Kagome I was thinking about how you are Shippo's guardian and you would not like to be separated from him. I also would rather not have to be separated from my little cousin. I would feel safer if he was near by so I could protect him. The spare bed chamber is for you, if you are willing to stay here with Shippo. I understand if you say no but know that if you do choose to stay I will be happy to provide anything that either you or Shippo could need." Youko looked at her with pleading in his eyes and preyed she would say yes. He wanted her to stay with him so badly. Part of it was because he would miss his cousin but he would also miss her.

Kagome was stunned that Youko would think about giving her a room in his home. As Shippo's relative she figured he would have expected her to stay at the village while he got Shippo. Honestly she would have understood that so long as she was allowed to visit and Shippo would stay with her every now and then. In the village they all either stayed in Kaede's hut or slept out doors so it wasn'y exactly easy living. Kagome looked at Youko, She really wanted to accept but she didn't want to get between him and Shippo.

"Are you sure I wouldn't get in the way? I know you probably want some bonding time with Shippo yourself. I can always stay in the village" Kagome was unsure of herself and even though she really didn't want to she had to ask lest she wonder in the future if Youko would regret his decision.

Youko was stunned that she would ask that. It sounded like she thought she was some sort of nuisance, like she didn't think he would want her there. Didn't she realize that he liked her? But looking at her he realized that she actually had that low of an opinion of herself. He had figured that she would be aware of how amazing and special she was. Now that he had realized his feelings for her he had just assumed she would know that he was interested in her, He had kissed her after all. But it seemed Kagome did not know those things, well he would just have to tell her. He would have to be careful though he didn't want to scare her away with the intensity of his feelings.

"Kagome you would never get in the way of anything. I will admit having Shippo here all the time when we are not traveling does appeal to me but that it only half of it. I should have said so before but I will say it now, I want you here for yourself regardless of Shippo. You are an amazing woman and I enjoy your company." Youko paused for a moment and Kagome could see strong emotions in his intense golden gaze as he stared into her eyes. "Please stay with me Kagome because I like you and I would like to get to know you better. I hope for you to see me as a good friend and maybe someday more." It was one of the hardest things for Youko to say in his long life. He knew he needed to make his intentions to Kagome known but he was terrified of her reaction. What if she shot him down here and now just because he said the wrong thing. He watched Kagome closely waiting for an answer, any answer that wouldn't shoot down any hopes he might have with her.

Kagome's heart felt like bursting from what he had told her. He did like her and he wanted her to stay with him because he enjoyed her company. Kagome knew she liked Youko, It wasn't an all consuming craze or anything like that but if he were in her era she would be plenty willing to date him. Kagome knew now after InuYasha that love did not happen over night, it was something that took time to develop. At the moment Kagome would be happy to stay with Youko and see where things led, it wasn't as if she hadn't already lived with him before. He wasn't going to do anything indecent or anything of the sort and Shippo would be there as well so it wasn't just her alone.

"Youko I would be happy to stay with you and Shippo. I trust you and I like spending time with you. If you are sure you are interested then I would be more then willing to get to know you better as well and see where it leads." At the last part Kagome blushed bright red. It was really embarrassing to admit to be willing to date. Especially because she didn't really know the procedure in this era, well except for the many arranged marriages.

Youko was so happy to hear her answer that he quickly embraced her in a tight hug and twirled her around in a circle. He never would have expected her to say what she did. He was expecting a yes or a no but she had said so much more. The tiny spark of hope in Youko grew to a small fire. When he put her down Kagome was giggling and Youko had never heard a more lovely sound. Youko took her hands and asked her a question that he had thought he wouldn't have the nerve to ask for a long time to come.

"Kagome would you allow me to court you?" Youko smiled at her the light still dancing in his eyes from her earlier words. Kagome looked at him with a puzzed expression and he realized she did not know what a courtship was. " I do not know what is done in your era but I would like to express interest in you and spend time alone with you in hopes that we can get to know each other better."

Kagome pondered for a few seconds and then realized he was just asking what she had already said she was willing to do."I would be happy to Youko." Kagome smiled humorously. " Though I think I had already kinda said yes." Youko laughed at that and told her that he just felt better making it official. They ate a pleasant meal and talked a little more about their different cultures and what a courtship entailed. It was basically dating so Kagome didn't feel uncomfortable at all. Before she left to the village Kagome remembered her crushed orchid plant. She had put it in a bag and it had been out of sight.

"Youko?"Kagome asked.

"Yes, Kagome."

"Are you any good at reviving plants if they have been crushed? I brought you one from my time but InuYasha stepped on it. I understand if you can't it's not really anything special I just thought you might like it for a house warming gift." Kagome mumbled and pulled out the broken gift. She felt a little silly when she did. It wasn't like it was expensive or anything and here she was presenting him with a dead plant, she should have just thrown it away. But Youko looked at her with curious eyes and simply took the plant which was currently in two pieces from her. Kagome watched and was amazed at what she saw, he put each piece of the plant in different hand's and the little orchid started to grow. The plant had been small just big enough for a 3 in pot and it was not in bloom when she gave it to him but now each piece turned into a separate plant and both were many times larger then the original and suddenly there were multiple flower shoots poking out from both plants. It was quite beautiful to watch as Youko brought life to something that had barely any life left in it to live. Youko placed both plants in matching pots and handed one to Kagome with a smile on his face.

"Thank you for the gift Kagome. I will very much enjoy it. In fact I will place it in my bedroom and treasure it as the first gift I ever received from you. You are welcome to keep that one for yourself to remember today with. I always like to see exotic new plants and I have never seen one like this before. Do you know anything about it? It does not seem like a typical orchid." Youko was excited that Kagome would think to get him a gift. It was a sign of caring for another. The fact that it was a plant showed that she had put real thought into what to get him, after all Youko did love plants.

Kagome listed off the information she had received from the florist from the grocery store about the orchid. She told him the county of origin, how it was known for having beautiful black leaves with orange stripes unlike most orchids that were known for their flowers and how it lived in the dirt on the ground unlike most orchids that lived in trees. She had wanted to get it for Youko because it was such a different pant and he seemed interested in all the information she had for him. Kagome was at a loss at first what to do with her plant until she decided that she would take it home to her era and leave it in her room at home. It would serve as a reminder of Youko.

Kagome finally said her farewells to Youko for the day and went back to the village to help everyone get ready for their next bout of traveling. She made a quick trip home since she had one more day then she had thought and dropped off her plant, as well as got more chocolate for Youko and Shippo. She told everyone later that day that Youko, Shippo and her would be staying a little away from the village when they were in the area. Miroku had made a hentai comment about Kagome staying with two men, Sango had slapped him, and Kaede said it seemed like a wise decision as some of the villagers were getting uncomfortable with the idea of two full grown youkai in the village. In general the idea had gone over quite well and InuYasha had just rolled his eyes when she had mentioned the hot springs at the den muttering something about crazy wenches who were never clean enough.

The next day the whole group gathered together and left the village in order to hunt for the shards. At first things were awkward between the group and Youko but after about a week everyone had accepted him completely. It was hard not to. Youko made traveling much easier, he always knew where a close by cave was at night and there were hardly any chores to do because his plants would do them all. Youko's helpfulness coupled with Shippo's made traveling much faster for the group. Camping was more relaxing and they had gained a very powerful ally so battles went by much more smoothly. Youko also had a knack for finding out rumors for the shards of the shinkon. When asked by the group he would just say that a bandit thief has his ways. With him in the group they found 10 shards in just six weeks, it was record speed for them. After that however rumors dried up considerably. The shard hunters were feeling more and more certain that there were no more shards left. All that remained was the final battle with Naraku to see who would be the victor.

During their travels, training for Shippo and Kagome did not stop nor did Youko's courting of Kagome. Every day while they walked Kagome practiced barriers for hiding her scent and aura, it was extremely tough work but Kagome did make some progress. She eventually got to the point where so long as she was concentrating she could mask her presence, but it generally would fall apart the second she talked or tried to pay attention to someone or something else. A by product of this training was that Kagome got a good feel for auras and soon she could sense other people and demons in the general vicinity. It was comforting to her to know who was around her and where they were, and it came in handy quite frequently. She was able to sense demons who were coming to attack them from great distances and even better Miroku when he was sneaking up behind her to get in a good grope. Spiritual training wasn't all that was happening either. Youko would train Kagome or Shippo for a few hours each night once they set up camp in hand to hand and whip use, both were getting quite good. Then later in the evenings Youko and Kagome would go for a walk together to get to know each other. The walks were easily the highlight of Kagome's day. She really loved spending time with Youko and he always made her feel special. They would talk about the modern era a lot and Youko's time in China. Kagome especially loved listening about Shippo's parents, Shippo didn't really remember them well and Kagome wanted to know what kind of people they were. Kagome and Youko often would hold hands during these walks and sometimes they would even kiss. Kagome loved Youko's kisses and there was nothing like being held in his embrace. They never went further then kissing for which Kagome could only feel grateful, she really liked Youko but she was still new to romance and she wasn't really ready for much else.

After the rumors for shards dried up the group decided to head back to the village. They needed to restock supplies and come up with a strategy for what was to come next. They all knew that the final battle would take place soon, they needed to find Naraku. The weather was sweltering hot the day they started towards the village and everyone felt miserable. Kagome just wanted to jump in a nice cool shower and wash off all the grime. She was out of conditioner and her hair felt like a dried up nest. Needless to say no one was happy when they heard her shout of warning.

"There is an extremely powerful demon heading in fast coming from the north!" Kagome grabbed her bow and arrows and readied her weapons as everyone else did the same.

"Oi Kagome, any clue what kind?" InuYasha shouted as he gleefully pulled out tetsusaiga. He was in a pissy mood from all the heat and whomever was coming was going to receive a less then warm welcome.

"Well errr, maybe dog it's kinda hard to tell, whatever they are it's really powerful but no shards." Kagome had learned to identify some demons types from their auras but she had not seen any demon quite like this one since she had learned to sense them, it felt kinda like InuYasha except different.

Youko reacted strangely to this information, a grin grew on his face and he seemed to be anticipating something. He leaned down to Kagome and whispered in her ear, "Don't worry it's a friend." He then moved forward in front of the entire group and told them all, "Please no one interfere."

He readied his rose whip and suddenly a white blur entered the clearing and streaked strait for Youko. Youko and the other beings whips clashed and they moved in the clearing so fast that no one could get a clear view of the two demons. They clashed so loudly that the entire clearing rang with the loud noises. They were like two white streaks floating in the air and sparks were flying everywhere. And then as quickly as it started it was over the whole thing had lasted under three minutes. Both demons had stopped and one demon had disarmed the other an energy whip fizzled on the ground before zapping out of existence. Youko stood victorious and the other demon bowed in defeat. As he righted himself the entire group gasped in shock as they finally got a good look at the defeated demon. It was Lord Sesshomaru and he looked like he was smiling.

"Sensei, I see you are still as sharp as ever." Sesshomaru bowed respectfully to Youko.

"Don't sound so disappointed." Youko was smiling as he spoke to Sesshomaru. "What kind of teacher would I be if I allowed my students to best me? They need to have some motivation for improving their skills."

The group was stunned at what they were hearing. Youko had taught Sesshomaru? And he had just disarmed him without the dog demon going ballistic? Even InuYasha was too stunned to speak or attempt to insult his brother. Finally the ice was broken when a young girl of about 14 years ran into the clearing running strait for the group as excitable as always.

"Kagome!" The girl ran into the priestess' welcome arms and into a tight embrace. "Rin missed you so much. Sesshomaru-sama said that we could travel with you guys now! Rin's so excited, is Shippo around? Rin wants to show him the pretty flowers that she picked for Jaken. Jaken says he doesn't like them but Rin thinks he does." The priestess just laughed and told her that she was excited too. When Kagome pointed Shippo out Rin was excited and grabbed him by the hand to show him the flowers. She didn't even bat an eyelash at Shippo's transformation, she just told him that he had certainly gotten tall. They ran off into the distance to go torture Jaken and the rest of the group finally snapped out of their daze. Sesshomaru knew Youko, He had even smiled. What was the world coming to?

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Alright so no one can possibly hate me for a slow update now. This chapter is easily long enough to be two full chapters. It was 10 pages long and took about that many hours to write. Hopefully the next chapter will lead up to or be the battle with Naraku. Don't expect super steamy romance sections yet, the real romance won't start until after that battle and I don't know if I have it in me to write a lemon, this is my first fanfic. Btw I did give into my temptations for final fantasy and thats part of why I put off writing, I got every trophy for that game. Also just a heads up I never saw the last season of the anime, so there is just Naraku, Kanna and Kagura no baby or any of that. I hope everyone liked the super long chapter, and please please please review. I really love getting reviews, it's my main motivation for writing. I especially appreciate multi-reviewers. Thank you all very much for reading.


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